Secrets of the Gods
by videoezy2
Summary: What if you weren't normal. What if the reason you swore off men is because you're the Goddess Artemis and your brother is the sun god. What if you discover your entire family are actually the Greek Gods and your house is insane. What if? That's my life
1. Prologue

**Okay people. This is my first fanfic story so NO JUDGMENT. However this is not the first story I have written. Mind you, this story is extremely under planned and was written at 5 in the morning under the influence of WAY to much caffeine. Yes, its not very detailed. Yes, it doesn't make sense. Yes, yes, yes. ... ... ... WHO CARES**

**ENJOY! :P**

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><p>Prologue<p>

Eros had decided early on that he quite disliked High School.

In fact, in most cases, he absolutely hated it but he knew that complaining to Achilles would be similar to insulting Percy. It would just slide right off.

He hated the endless hours of learning something you already knew and the teachers who pretended to be more experienced when they honestly had no clue just like everyone else but, most especially, he hated the mortals.

Even the oldest mortal was yet but a child in comparison to the age and experience he had gained over the millennia. A mortal in their _teenaged_ years, however, wasn't even a toddler by his standards yet, here he was, forced to walk with them.

He shuddered.

It horrified him to walk near them let alone have actual _conversations_ with them. He had concluded that as soon as he had gained the trust of his target, he would avoid the mortals as much as possible.

When wandering the halls, he kept to the desolate parts of the school, the hallways no one dared to use during Lunch. These halls were often the ones close to the offices of the teachers or the staff room so it did quite surprise him to see he wasn't the only one in this specific hallway.

Two fair haired boys were standing by a doorway to a office, their eyes glittering mischievously. He recognized them instantly.

Hermes and Apollo.

Awe immediately filled him, expanding to fill his entire being. Just _seeing _them filled him with hope that they would one day rise again, ruling justly. But no. They weren't ready.

Not yet.

He stopped in front of them, knowing full well that they wouldn't be able to see him. He barely needed to think nowadays to keep the glamour intact. When Achilles had first approached him, upholding even the simplest spell took an amazing amount of energy from him.

Now, though, he just had to blink and he would disappear from the eyes of the mortals.

The one with golden hair that shone like the brilliance of the sun, Apollo, was standing precariously on the edge of a chair, trying to sit a bucket of water on the top of a barely opened door. A pair of stark red sunglasses perched at the top of his head, ruffling his blonde locks. He was grinning manically and kept shooting glances at the boy with the pale, spiky blonde hair, Hermes. Hermes was staring down the hallway with an almost scary intensity, his lean, muscular body poised to sprint at a moment's notice. They were younger then when he last saw them, a decade perhaps taken off their physical appearance. Their faces were slightly rounder, their bodies smaller and leaner. Yet they still maintained that aura about them, that alluring pull that made them seem stronger, taller and powerful.

The sound of heels clacking down a hallway reached Eros's ears.

Apparently, it also seemed to have reached Hermes ears.

"Alex," Hermes hissed, "Time's out."

Apollo, or Alex, raised himself onto his toes, fiddling with the bucket for a few seconds longer before jumping lithely down from the chair. Snatching the chair easily with one hand, he faced Hermes.

"Do you have the camera, Henri?"

Eros frowned. Henri must have been the name of Hermes.

Henri smirked, flashing a black metallic object to his friend. "Of course," he grinned, snapping his head to the side as the clacking of the heels grew louder, "Let's go."

Crouching low, they sprinted to the open door of a classroom across the hall, ducking behind the corner. Eros could hear Alex setting the chair down carefully inside the classroom just as a woman turned the corner. She strode down the corridor with an air of purpose, heading towards the door Henri and Alex had just trapped.

She was quite thin with an angular, pale face framed by short black hair. Rectangular glasses sat on the bridge of her nose and seemed to be constantly falling down for she kept reaching up to fix their position. She held a certain authority in the way she stood, the way she walked as if she was completely comfortable in her surroundings, as if being in the centre of the anarchy of High School didn't bother her in the slightest.

Eros stepped to the side just as the woman strode past him, oblivious of the young man she nearly ran into. He smirked.

A short intake of breath emitted from the classroom the young Gods had hid in. He glanced behind him to see a very disturbed Alex and a horrified looking Henri. They were whispering to each other furiously, the camera forgotten. They looked very much like they wanted to undo what they had done but, before they could do even breath, a scream echoed through the corridors followed by a loud clatter as the bucket fell to the ground.

Holding back the urge to laugh, Eros turned to see the woman soaking wet and looking angry enough to kill.

He watched, mildly amused, as Alex and Henri slowly crept from the classroom, probably hoping that they would escape the scene of the crime unnoticed. However, they walked directly into the woman's line of fire. As her gaze fell upon them, it almost seemed as if the temperature dropped a good few degrees.

His eyes not wavering from the woman before them, Alex muttered to Henri, "Should we run?"

"Run," Henri confirmed.

So they ran.

Eros watched them sprint down the corridor as if Hades was chasing them but in the form of the school's principal, Mrs. Burn.

"Alex and Henri Lewis," She screeched, waving her fists, "You get back here this instant!"

Hastily, Mrs. Burn took off each of her heeled shoes, gathering them in one hand before taking off down the corridor. He could still hear her screamed threats after she turned the corner.

Eros smirked.

He felt sorry for the poor mortal principal. Apollo had been arrogantly cocky as a God and Hermes had been infamous for antics as a trickster and a thief. However, to be on the bad side of the Gods as _teenagers _was infinitely worse. He chuckled.

Well, better her then him.

He almost immediately mentally scolded himself. He wasn't one to get distracted but, here he was, chuckling at human antics. He was on mission. He couldn't afford distractions.

He once again found himself wandering the hallways but this time, he was angling himself so that he would reach the Stadium.

He let the glamour slide off him like water as the hallways became more populated, mortal teenagers stared at him with open interest, the girls giggling quietly behind their hands as if he wouldn't notice. A particularly bold, red headed cheerleader winked at him, puckering her lips as she swayed her hips in one of those ridiculously short cheerleading skirts. Stephanie, he thought her name was.

Though he was always one to admire the occasional women, he had to admit there should be a rule against the length of skirts. Or one that Stephanie Myers wouldn't find a loophole in.

Other girls followed her lead, glancing up from beneath their eyelashes flirtatiously, hoping to capture his attention. He knew exactly what they were thinking, of what they were hoping to succeed in but, he found he didn't care.

He glided through the large, concrete archway that led into the football Stadium, ignoring a particularly possessive jock that had been glaring at him.

He scanned the Stadium quickly, his eyes barely over skimming the group of jocks throwing a football around at the centre of the stadium. He ignored the posse of cheerleaders as they waved their pom poms around in their short skirts, glancing at him appreciatively before beginning to chant. A teenage girl was jogging along the track, IPod earphones dangling from her ears, completely cut off from everyone else.

For a brief moment, he thought that maybe the girl running was the one he was after but he quickly dismissed the idea. She didn't have the silvery hair typically associated with the Goddess he was searching for.

Other kids lounged around on the stands, joking and laughing with each other as if they had no idea whose presence they were in. As if they didn't realise that they were in the presence of Gods.

But none of those kids was the girl he was looking for.

He scowled. Where was she?

He was just about to give up when he saw a jock break away from the group, walking away from the yells of encouragement his friends were giving him while he walked towards the jogging girl. He was yelling something to her, waving his arms in attempt to catch her attention.

Eros turned slightly, straining to hear even with his enhanced hearing.

"Artemis!" the jock shouted, jogging the last few steps to catch up with her.

She slowed to walk before turning to face him, unplugging her earphones as she gazed at the jock with curiosity. With a shock Eros realised that this girl actually was Artemis.

Even though her dirty blonde hair was different to the Goddess's usual silver locks, when the sun hit her hair, it gave it the appearance of finely spun silver. Her angular, elfin face had a creamy complexion, her dark eyelashes fluttering as she offered a small smile at the boy, her emerald eyes wide and questioning. Despite her feminine appearance, muscles rippled through every inch of her skin, her every move like a graceful lion stalking her prey. Eros knew immediately that, despite her loss of true memory, the girl wasn't one to be trifled with

"Darren," she said scolded playfully as he grinned sheepishly, "You know I don't like being called that."

"Why?" the boy, Darren, asked, "It suits you."

She scowled. "It's just a stupid nickname. Call me Mia."

Darren nodded and glanced at her quickly before suddenly looking at his shoes, a blush colouring his cheeks. "So I was wondering," he began, shuffling his feet, "If you would like to go see a movie with me, Friday night?"

Eros grinned. There was nothing he liked better than watching declarations of love, especially ones that came so unexpectedly.

A peculiar expression came across Mia's face. "I'm sorry, Darren," she said carefully, "But I don't date."

Darren frowned. "Oh."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

He flashed a small, defeated smile. "No worries. Just give me a call when you start to date though, okay?"

She nodded, giving him a pitying glance.

Eros turned to directly face her, barely noticing as Darren returned to his group of imbeciles. He only had eyes for Mia as she popped her earphones back into place and once again took off at a steady pace around the track.

Finally, after endless years of wandering the Earth, hiding from the very mortals who once worshipped him, he had found the Ancient Gods and Goddesses of old.

He had found _her._

Now it was only a matter of befriending her. He quickly racked his brains for the name Achilles had told him to use.

Ah. He remembered now.

His name was Eric.

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><p><strong>Do you like it? Do you LOVE it? Or do you HATE it? Please tell me and R&amp;R<strong>

**I promise the next chapter will be more detailed AND more thrilling :-D**


	2. Familiar Stranger

**Okay. Now I'm not so sure about this chapter. _I _like it but I feel like it's the kind of chapter that other people might not like. Oh, well.**

**Please, Enjoy :-D**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Sometimes, I thought that I would never control it.

That I would never control the vast amount of rage and energy that always seemed to be inside of me. Before I had discovered my talent of running and archery, I had used to let go of my anger by taking it out on anything I would come across, especially boys. I had been a destructive child, going in and out of the principal's office nearly as often as my brothers, Alex, Henri and Haden. Though I held nothing compared to them, I still felt as if sometimes, even with my archery, I _needed _that. A part of me desperately wanted to get rid of my energy both _physically _and _violently _instead of merely emotionally. I wanted to feel the thrill of flying and ignore the possibility of falling and, for a long time, that was exactly how I lived my life. Then I learnt to control myself and my _violent _urges.

It was in the past, though, but sometimes, not very often, I still felt as if there was something _missing. _As if there was something out there that I still needed to do, something so important that everything I was doing was nothing but preparing me for whatever was waiting out there. Like I wasn't living until I found that part of myself.

Like now.

But I had a pretty good idea of what was missing and it sure wasn't some strange enlightening epiphany. No. It was my lack and utter hatred of the opposite gender.

I sprinted the next hundred meters, allowing the burn of exercise to run through me, my legs welcoming the familiar feeling.

Ever since I was in Seventh Grade, I was almost attacked by offers of dates and romantic evenings. And, to the utter horror of my older sister, Phoebe, I had said no to each and every offer.

I knew exactly why the idea of dating disgusted me. The amount of times I had to watch my brothers wolf whistle at every girl, commenting that they were '_hot chicks' _was enough to tell me that all men wanted were the body and the not the mind. It sickened me.

Yet still, I had attracted a few decent looking boys before and, most of the time, they were fairly nice, caring people but I just wasn't interested.

A loud, obnoxious beeping noise emitted from the pocket of my shorts, signalling a text message. Grabbing the cell, I checked the ID, sighing as I took in the familiar name.

I glanced in exasperation towards the stands where Phe was standing gracefully by the top. She was raising her eyebrows in a questioning look, waving her metallic pink mobile at me in a wave.

I quickly scanned the message.

**why did u turn him down? he was SO into u**

Scowling, I typed in a reply before snapping my cell closed. Before I could put it away, however, I was treated to another series of loud beeping noises.

I read the next message.

**do NOT say he wasn't cuz he was. im doctor love. i know these things.**

**if u want to, i can hook u up with him?**

I wrote my reply almost instantly.

**if u hook me up with another guy, i mite have to kill u. who**

**do u think u r? aphrodite?**

Satisfied I wouldn't get another reply out of her, I glanced at the stands, smirking as I scanned the top for Phe. Before I could find her, though, my cell, once again, began to beep. I glanced down at my pocket in amazement. That girl texted fast.

**well, i am EXTREMELY irresistible **

I raised a slender eyebrow at her comment, noting dryly that she used a five syllable word. Impressive. For her, I meant.

I once again scanned the crowd at the stands, finding Phe almost instantly that time. Her long, golden hair flew gently in the breeze as she winked playfully at me, bending over in a Playboy bunny pose. She flipped her silky hair back as she blew me a kiss.

Behind her, a boy choked on his lunch as he caught a full view of Phe's backside.

I narrowed my eyes in disgust.

I suddenly remembered why I didn't date. Boys were all sexist pigs.

I grinned at that reassuring thought and, once again, took off at a steady jog, focusing on nothing but the track in front of me.

I had just finally relaxed into a steady hum when I heard someone yelling behind me.

"Hey! Will you slow down!"

I sighed. The voice sounded suspiciously like Darren's and the Gods knew I wouldn't be able to deal with _another _rejection.

"I've told you, Darren," I yelled over my shoulder, trying to go faster without making it too noticeable, "I don't date."

"My name isn't Darren!"

I froze, closing my eyes briefly in humiliation before turning to face my mystery guy. My mouth almost immediately fell open.

The guy was hot.

Usually, hot or not, I wouldn't give a guy a second glance. I had met quite a few guys that met the Phe definition of _hot _but never actually guys who I found attractive in the slightest.

So when I said that the guy was _hot, _I actually meant he could've been a God sent to earth.

He had a lean, muscular build with flawless, sun-kissed skin. The same curly, golden hair as Phe's framed his face, pronouncing his high cheekbones and vibrant blue eyes. A white T-shirt leaved little to the imagination and I found myself eyeing the abbs that were incredibly visible through the tight material.

Then I saw his eyes.

They were like unfathomable Greek Oceans. Crystal clear and bright yet they still hid a depth and intensity that no one could have ever thought possible of a teenage boy, a wisdom that reminded me of elderly college professors.

He jogged up to me, wiping his hand across his forehead as he heaved in a ragged breath of air. He bent at the waist, catching his breath.

Still bent, he extended his arm. "I'm Eric."

A small smile gracing my features, I reached over and grabbed his hand. "Amelia, but call me Mia."

I watched him with interest as he tried to catch his breath.

With those kinds of muscles, he looked like the kind of guy who could run ten miles without breaking a sweat yet, here he was, panting as if he had never been on the ground before let alone at a run.

He straightened. "Alright," he said, his tone determined, "Let's go."

I raised my eyebrows in shock. What was this kid playing at? "Are you sure you don't want to sit in the stands, kid? My goal, today, is ten miles."

For just a brief second, I thought I saw utter despair flicker through his features but it was gone before I could get a better look. He smiled coyly.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

I shrugged. "Just keep up, kid."

I started at a slow pace, occasionally glancing behind me at Eric. He was keeping up fairly well but it was obvious that he was tiring quickly.

I smirked.

Let's see if he could _truly _keep up.

I pumped my legs harder, sprinting a hundred metres, then two hundred metres. I poured my heart and soul into the lap, feeling like I was treading air. I dashed the remainder of the lap effortlessly, smirking as the cheerleaders squealed at my sudden approach. I slowed my pace, angling for the benches before finally coming to a halt.

I pivoted, snatching my drink bottle from the bench.

Eric was right behind me.

I blinked, my eyes widening in shock. "You're fast," I offered, impressed.

He placed his hands behind his head, gazing skywards. "I," he said, panting heavily," need a drink."

I watched him, frowning, as he snatched my drink bottle from my hand and took a long swig.

Though he had done nothing to offend me, something bothered me about Eric. He was probably a great guy but, every time I looked at him, an uncomfortable prickling flashed across my mind.

"Hey, Mia! Is that jerk bugging you?"

I glanced over at the group of jocks, watching as one in particular broke away from the group, a football in hand. My brother, Zach, tossed it easily in the air as he glared at Eric suspiciously. "Don't worry yourself." I called, "I can handle him."

My other two brothers, Po and Haden, broke from the group as well, Po swiping the ball effortlessly from Zach's hand while saying threateningly to me, "Well, if you can't handle him-"

"-just give us a call." Haden finished, knocking Po on the head and taking the ball as his prize. I shook my head in exasperation as Zach attempted to snatch the ball back but instead tackled Haden to the ground, beginning a wrestling match as Po joined in.

"Who are they?" Eric asked, absentmindedly handing my drink bottle back.

"My elder brothers."

I sneaked a quick glance at his face. He was staring at my brothers with an almost unusual expression. His blue eyes seemed tortured as he watched my brothers' laugh and wrestle, his shoulders tense.

A series of loud shrieks echoed through the stadium, breaking Eric from his trance. Shaking his head slightly, he looked behind me, an amused smile lighting his face.

"And they are?" he asked.

I turned to face where he was looking, scanning the countless people.

"Who?" I asked, clueless.

He gestured to the cheerleaders. Two boys were leaping over a girl who performing the splits, causing the girl to erupt into hysterics. They were laughing hysterically as they dodged and pushed the girls out of the way. Just as the cheerleaders seemed to regain their dignity, another figure pushed through them, once again scattering them. The women was raising two heeled shoes in air angrily, screaming, "Henri and Alex Lewis, this is the last straw! Do you hear me! You _will _be expelled for this!"

"Those guys." Eric said, gesturing to the two fleeing boys.

I sighed, watching in exasperation as my brothers sprinted towards us, ignoring Mrs. Burn's attempted threats. "Those are also my brothers."

Eric let out a low whistle. "Must suck being the only girl in six children."

"I have sisters too," I said defensively. Alex let out a girlish screech a few metres away as a football sailed towards his head, ducking just in time as Henri laughed is head off.

He glanced at me sharply. "How big is your family?"

"Including me? Twelve." I said, answering my own question.

Henri and Alex past us in a blur, waving cheerfully as if being threatened by expulsion was nothing but a day to day experience. I briefly considered finding out what they had done but quickly dismissed the idea. Knowing them, I probably didn't want to know.

Not far behind them, was a very disgruntled looking Mrs. Burn, and by the Gods, did she look _mad. _Her hair had escaped from her usual tight bun, the stray tendrils clinging to her cheek. Her clothes were water logged and clung to her body. She looked mad enough to kill and, if I made sense from any of the threats, that was exactly what she was saying she would do to my brothers once she caught them.

I resisted the urge to laugh.

I swear, if Mrs. Burn could shoot daggers out of her eyes, my brothers would be pin cushions by then.

I switched my gaze back to Eric who was looking at me in shock. My grin slowly slid off my face.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Twelve," he whispered, "I _so _don't want to go to your place."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He said he was surprised yet his eyes told a completely different story. He almost seemed _excited _about me having twelve siblings. I shook the feeling off. Whatever they were, I was sure Eric's intentions weren't terrible.

"It's not that bad. We get along," I told him as I snatched his hand and dragged him from the benches, ignoring his complaints as I, once again, forced him into a steady pace along the track.

"Step-siblings?" he asked, his voice already out of breath.

"Nah," I answered, resisting the urge to smile, "We're adopted."

Eric nodded. "Right"

The next mile was kept in something close to a companionable silence. Eric managed to keep up with me despite the fact that he constantly paused to rest. I took his distraction to watch him carefully, scanning him for anything that might say a potential threat. I hadn't had someone approach me as a friend since Grade eight.

He kept his eyes trained on the stands while we jogged, his eyes zoning in onto the blonde figure of my sister, Phe. His gaze was a strange mixture of longing and protectiveness. It wasn't the first time I had seen a boy gaze longingly at my sister but it wasn't one that was filled with lust. It was one filled with pain and sorrow.

"Lewis! Get over here!" a voice shouted.

My head snapped up along with Eric's, my eyes immediately finding the source. A few metres away, armed with a clipboard and pen, stood Coach Becking. He was scowling at my three brothers as they all glanced up at him, beginning to jog towards him.

"No, not you three," he snapped, gesturing to me "_her._"

I sighed. Whatever Coach Becking wanted, I knew it wouldn't be good.

"I'll see you later, Eric," I said grimly, staring at could only be my doom.

He smirked, clapping me half-heartedly on the back. "Good luck surviving an encounter with Coach Becking."

I gave Eric a withering glance, ignoring his answering grin before walking cautiously towards the most feared man in the school. Becking was a tall and imposing man, well over six ft tall. Every ounce of his skin bulged with muscle that could only be obtained from spending hours in a gym per day. There were rumours that the scowl on his face was permanent and that he had never smiled once in his life. But, then again, there were also rumours that he was a Russian spy sent to seduce and marry a CIA operative, whose cover was a teacher here, and then kill her.

Never trust the High School Rumour Mill.

To say he was terrifying was like calling a pit bull, Fluffy. This man was _beyond_ terrifying.

So, obviously, he was my favourite teacher.

"Yes, Coach?" I asked, stopping a few ft away. I didn't want to be within range if he grew angry.

He glared at me. "Tell me, Mia. Did you make it into the Track Team last year?"

I nodded warily. "Yes."

"And did you make it into the Track Team the year before that?"

"Yes."

"And have you made it into the Track Team every single year since Grade Eight?"

I grinned sheepishly. "Yes, Coach."

"Then why, in God's name, are you training?"

I shrugged casually. "I'm not training. I _like _running. It helps me deal with my ADHD."

"Fine," he grunted, "but that's not the only reason I called you over here, kid. I've been able to convince the School Board to bring in an Archery Team."

I winced. I suddenly knew what he was implying.

He continued on, oblivious to my discomfort.

"Now, it's no secret what you and that twin of yours can do with a bow in your hands. However, I've already attempted to ask Alex but he was a bit occupied with Mrs. Burn at the time. So, that leaves me with you."

He took in a deep breath. "Would you like to be Captain of our school's first ever Archery team?"

This was the break I had been waiting for, the chance to join a team and to get noticed. It had been my dream to be a professional archer since I was small, to make it to the Olympics and win the gold. I already had the talent but I just needed the chance. Something was holding me back, however, a feeling that hadn't left me since Eric had appeared. At that moment, as I tried to see my future, I didn't see five star hotels and archery competitions. I saw something else.

"Can I sleep on it, Coach?" I asked.

He frowned. I bet he thought I would've jumped at the chance he just gave me. By the Gods, _I _felt like I would've jumped at the chance but, for some reason, I didn't.

"Sure, kid," he said, almost reluctantly, "Tryouts are tomorrow, though, so you better be giving me an answer then."

I nodded, relieved. "Thanks, Coach."

Coach nodded awkwardly, scribbling something onto his clipboard. Sighing he glanced up to where Mrs. Burn was stalking angrily down the stands, clutching both Henri and Alex by the ears, her mouth working furiously as she, without a doubt, yelled at them. If I strained my ears, I could almost hear her shouting. "Do you find this amusing, Mr. Lewis?" she screamed addressing Henri as a grin broke out onto his face, "Because I assure you that this is _no _laughing matter."

I winced. Though Henri and Alex had avoided expulsion for eleven years now, I was almost certain they had crossed the line this time.

Coach Becking sighed. "Let's ask Alex again, then."

Giving me a final glance, he walked, almost unwillingly, towards the infuriated principal and her latest victims.

I glanced down at my watch, reading the clock hands. I had five minutes until Lunch ended for me to get changed and to collect my books.

Taking in a few deep breaths, I collected my drink bottle from the benches before walking past the stands. The crowd was laughing and snickering at they enjoyed the last few moments of Lunch. The cheerleaders were practicing their routine one more time, the head cheerleader and my sister, Helena, giving the girls a pep talk. I attracted a few wolf whistles from the crowd, glaring at whoever it was. Last year, I would've hunted the guy down and kick him where it would hurt but I was determined to be good this year.

I should've known that it wouldn't have lasted.

I had almost made it to the Girls Changing rooms when I heard the voices. The voices were all too familiar and seemed to be arguing. Again.

Glancing longingly at the Girl Changing rooms, I changed direction, walking towards the sound of the voices. I didn't want to play peace maker but, when it came to these two, they would listen to no one else.

"You're impossible Aaron!"

"You're such a freak, Anna!"

"I can't believe I have to _live _you."

"Compared to me, you have it pretty good. At least, you don't have to live with yourself."

"You idiot! Of course I have to live with myself. I _am _myself!"

"Whatever."

Finally, my sister, Anna, and my other brother, Aaron, came into view. Aaron was standing by the fence, glaring at Anna while she stood before him, her face flushed red as she yelled at him with everything she had.

It wasn't an unfamiliar scene. The two argued more than Deanna and Haden which wasn't an accomplishment to be proud of. Except, this time, the current fight had Aaron tense, his hands fisted as prepared himself for a fight and, knowing Anna, she would give him one. Despite her size, the girl was black belt in Karate _and _Judo and had a temper that could rival the Gods.

I wedged myself in between them, pushing them away from each other before anything to serious could erupt.

"Alright guys," I said trying to keep my voice as calm as possible, "What's wrong now?"

"This _pig_," Anna screeched, pointing at Aaron, "told me that I was nothing but a concubine whore."

I froze, taking in Anna's stormy, grey eyes. She was staring at me as if daring me to tell her she was lying. Her pitch black hair was sticking to her flushed cheeks and she was breathing heavily, smirking slightly. She knew she had swayed me to her side.

I pivoted slowly to face Aaron, murder blazing in my eyes.

He rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up in frustration.

"You called my sister what?" I hissed, taking a step closer.

Almost immediately, he took a step back. "I didn't mean it, Mia. You know that."

I stepped forward. "You know as well as I do that you meant every word of it."

Fire was blazing in my chest. Something was scorching within me, a voice urging me on in the back of my head. Suddenly, the boy in front of me wasn't just a student but also an opponent that needed to be taken care of. I could see him in battle armour, a sword at his side. I didn't ignore the image, instead letting it envelop me, unbelievable fury coming with it. Suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to see him beg for mercy, to see him plead for his life.

Before I knew what I was doing, my fist was flying towards his face. Swearing colourfully, Aaron caught it, twisting my wrist before I could do anything more. My hand was still trapped by him as I kicked him in the stomach, wrenching my hand away from him as he took a step back from the impact. Before he could react, I kicked him again, sending him flying into the fence. He slid down the fence until he was on the ground.

I lowered myself onto him, raising my fist back. I was aware of Anna behind me, urging me on. She was cheering loudly, shouting for me to leave some for her. Rage was blinding me. I wanted nothing more than to hurt Aaron, nothing more than to kill him.

I was just about to release my fist into his jaw when I heard a voice, a voice that was totally _not _Anna's.

"What exactly is going on here?" it snapped.

And just like that, the rage left. I was left there, sitting on Aaron's stomach and feeling more than a little empty and confused. Aaron was staring at me in shock, looking barely injured despite my previous best efforts. I could detect just a tiny bit of respect in his unusual orange eyes.

What had just happened?

I didn't face the voice though I well and truly knew who it was.

"Amelia and Anastasia Lewis, you look at me this instant."

I forced myself to look into Mrs. Burn's face, slowly heaving myself from my perch on Aaron's stomach. With Anna, I stood before her, wincing slightly at her absolutely livid facial expression. She was standing before us, still soaking wet but each hand was clutching on to one of Henri's and Alex's ears.

Henri attempted to give me thumbs up, grinning wildly, but was stopped by what seemed to be a particularly painful tug of the ear. I gave him a pitying glance as he grimaced in pain, offering a small smile. Alex was also beginning to erupt into silent convulsions of laughter before Mrs. Burn yanked his ear as well. Then he just glared at her.

Mrs. Burn, however, stared at me.

I was prepared for a look of rage or of horror or even of disappointment. However, I was_ not _prepared for that mindlessly horrible blank stare she was giving me.

"You three," she said, voice devoid of any emotion, "My office. Now."

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><p><strong>Did you like it or did you hate it? If so, tell me in a review! Reviews make me feel all chipper inside :-D<strong>

**CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS WELCOMED**


	3. Blame it on the Boys

**Sorry, guys, for the amount of time it took to write this. Once again, the beastly threat of schoolwork strikes again. This chapter is mainly an into chapter. I promise I'll get into the part where she discovers who she really is soo. Until then though, Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

"Why are you guys in here again?"

Mrs. Burn has led us, Henri and Alex by the ears, through the maze of corridors, throwing us into the small waiting room outside of her office. She had told her receptionist, a perky blonde with head phones, to keep an eyes on us while she saw to another student.

The room was quite small and stuffed to the brim with threadbare armchairs and stacks of magazines. To the side was a receptionist desk, overflowing with papers, pencils and, amazingly enough, a half eaten sandwich.

I had draped myself on one of the couches, resting my legs on Alex's lap as he sat next to me. Anna and Aaron sat across from us, participating in a glaring contest while ignorant of their surroundings. Henri preferred to sit on the large, musty rug, leaning his back against the couch Alex and I were perched on. He had picked up an old magazine and was idly flipping through it while he asked us.

"Well," Anna began, ripping her eyes from Aaron, "In a nutshell, Aaron called me a concubine whore and then Mia decided that she would beat him up."

Henri turned to wink at me before asking Anna, "Then why are you here?"

"Because, I think, if Mrs. Burn hadn't interrupted, I would have joined Mia in beating up my pig of a brother."

Alex let out a low whistle. "Hell hath no fury like a women's scorn."

"Believe me," Aaron grumbled, "You have no idea."

I nearly laughed out loud at Aaron's sullen pitiful expression. He had refused to talk to anyone on the walk here, preferring to glare daggers at Anna's back. The fact that he was speaking amazed me.

"Students?"

We switched our gazes to the perky blonde behind the reception desk. Her vivid blue eyes met ours, revealing a row of pearly white teeth as she smiled at us.

How stereotypical.

"Your Uncle is here," she dimpled.

We glanced at her sharply in shock, Henri slamming the magazine down before leaping onto the couch, squeezing himself between me and Alex. Aaron and Anna anxiously kept their eyes off each other, attempting not to glare as we assumed an air of innocence.

His voice sounded through the room, "This has got to be a record."

We flipped our heads to the sound of the familiar voice. My eyes widened slightly when I saw who it was.

"Five of my kids," Uncle Carl continued, "Sent to the Principal's Office on the first day of school, before Lunch has even finished."

He shook his head. "This has _got _to be a record," he repeated.

Uncle Carl was a thin man with a thick amount of dark brown hair curling around his head. On his nose sat a pair of half-moon spectacles which was always on the bridge of his nose. It looked like he had hastily thrown a jacket over a starch white lab coat.

I flinched.

He was probably called from his work in the city. I had a feeling that this would not go down to well.

Like Mrs. Burn, his face was completely devoid of any emotion; as if someone had come along with a cloth and decided that they should just wipe it off.

The door across the room swung open and a red headed boy sauntered out followed by Mrs. Burn. Mumbling something about a '_backstabbing idiot'_ the red headed boy fled the room.

Mrs. Burn pierced us with a stare. "I'm ready to see you three now."

I sighed. Into the lion's den we go.

* * *

><p>"So, will you three care to explain what just happened?"<p>

Mrs. Burn stared at us over her glasses, resting her head onto her hands. She looked like someone who had all the time in the world.

The room was wide and open, unlike the sitting room we were forced to sit in earlier. The wall across from us was completely taken over by a window, letting in light and sound and warmth. The light spread bent around Mrs. Burn, giving her an almost angelic appearance as she sat at her mahogany desk.

"Well," Anna started uncertainly, "Aaron and I were fighting and he, well, he called me a-"

She cut off, refusing to say anymore causing Mrs. Burn to raise her eyebrows in impatience.

"Yes," she urged, "He called you a ...?"

"Concubine whore," I finished, leaning back on my chair. Might as well get it over and done with.

If possible, Mrs. Burn's eyebrows rose even higher, almost receding into her hairline. She grunted.

"Well,' she observed, twisting her head to look at Aaron, "I can't say that doesn't surprise me especially since I gave your third and final warning at the end of term last year Mr. Lewis. But what does surprise me," she switched her gaze to Anna and I, studying us intensely, "is that _you two _were participating in this."

Anna blushed considerably, looking down at her feet in shame, while I picked up a pencil from the desk, playing with it idly. I could hear her words and knew how important to her they were but I just couldn't find it within myself to care.

"Mia, if I remember correctly," she began, leaning forward over her desk to get a better view of me, "You received your third and final warning in Grade Nine. Since then, however, you've been a model student. What happened?"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Burn," I replied, playing the part perfectly of a troubled, guilt-ridden teen, "I don't know what came over me."

Technically, that was _not _a lie.

Mrs. Burn pursed her lips. "Hmm," she muttered, "I'm sure you do, Mia, but that doesn't change the fact that you physically attacked your brother."

I frowned as she switched her attention to Anna. "Anna, as one of our top students, I expected you to be one of the few helping to pull Mia off but it seemed that if I hadn't intervened, you would have happily participated in the fight!"

"But-"

"No buts Anna. I wish that I didn't have to do this but I'm afraid that there is nothing else to do," she paused, sighing, "The three of you are suspended for two weeks."

I froze and, for a brief moment, there was nothing but complete and utter silence. Then Anna and Aaron opened their mouths.

"But I have football tryouts-"

"My grades might go-"

"-tomorrow and I'll miss them!"

"Children, hush!"

"-down and I won't get into a good college!"

"Foot ball is my life-"

"I'm going to be poor and old with no money and-"

I, however, didn't speak. I just sat there, letting the news wash over me.

The next day was the tryouts for the Track team _and _the Archery team. I was also meant to give Coach my answer of whether I was going to be captain or not. If I was suspended, not only would I not make into the Track team for the first time ever, but I would also miss the opportunity of being an Archery Captain. I felt as if I should've been worried, but frankly, I found that I didn't care.

It was strange. For some reason, I didn't care at _all. _It was as if something that had been incredibly important to me a few hours ago was now insignificant in my life.

Mrs. Burn, meanwhile, was trying every means necessary to gain the attention of the now frantic Anna and Aaron. While their voices rose considerably higher, Anna is panic and Aaron in rage, Mrs. Burn's voice was barely heard. She was waved her arms frantically and, when noticing this did nothing, resorted to a different means.

She threw a book at the wall.

Almost immediately, Aaron and Anna stopped talking, their jaws shutting abruptly as they stared at the book in shock. Mrs. Burn cleared her throat loudly, successfully gaining our attention. "Nothing you will say shall change my mind, children. This is a punishment and will hopefully teach you a lesson."

Slightly shaking, she reached up and pushed her glasses back, driving her attention to some paperwork. "Dismissed."

Aaron stood immediately and, send a venomous glare in our principals direction, stormed out of the room, slamming in the door open. Anna just took in a deep breath and I could almost envision her counting to ten mentally before gracefully standing and prancing out of the room as if she just hadn't been through anything remotely stressful.

I just sat there. I didn't know why but I felt as if I needed to say something, to explain my behaviour but I couldn't find the words to use. A part of me felt that there was no reasonable explanation for kicking my brother against a fence and beating him up. I felt as if those actions were entirely me, no matter how much I wanted it to be otherwise.

Offering Mrs. Burn a polite smile, I stood and exited the room.

As I walked away, Mrs. Burn called to me, "Tell your brothers that I don't need to see them. I believe I don't need to question them to know they deserve to be suspended as well."

I grinned.

Suddenly, I was feeling better.

Aaron and Anna had taken seats opposite from each other, arms crossed, and seemed to be participating in what looked like a glaring contest. Their eyes were filled with enough hatred and venom to burn a hole in the wall as they tried to stare the other down.

Henri and Alex, who were watching Anna and Aaron in mild amusement, glanced up as I approached.

"So," Alex began, "I get the feeling it didn't go to well."

"You can say that," I breathed, eyeing Aaron and Anna in exasperation. Their hands were now itching towards the pencils on the table as if looking for a weapon.

"What's your sentence?"

I threw myself down on my brother's lap, leaning my head besides his. I could feel him sigh as I kicked my feet up and placed them on Henri's lap, earning myself a raised eyebrow. I smirked. "All three of us are suspended for two weeks."

I glanced warily over at Uncle Carl, trying to gauge his reaction, but all I got was him singing a few off key lines of a show tune while he read a magazine. I knew I shouldn't hope that he hadn't heard us. Knowing him, he was just waiting for the perfect moment to launch into his world famous lectures.

Given the chance, I could possibly repeat one of his lectures, word for word, but I wouldn't think Uncle Carl would like me doing that.

Henri let out a short, harsh laugh. "Serves you right."

"Don't get too smug, Henri. You and Alex are suspended too."

Henri gaped at me. "What! But she hasn't even seen us yet!"

"We could have been forced to do what we did by threat of death!" Alex continued.

I frowned. "What exactly _did _you do anyway?"

"We poured a bucket of sewerage water on her head," Henri replied, matter-of-factly.

I blinked. I never should've asked.

I was saved of replying to this by Uncle Carl who, sighing, put down his magazine and gazed at us, barely taking in Aaron's and Anna's silent argument.

"It's time to go."

With that, Uncle Carl turned on his heel and left the room. Aaron quickly stood, following Uncle Carl while giving Anna a parting sneer.

I sighed and, using Alex's legs as leverage, I pushed myself up. Grabbing Anna, I swiftly left the room, dragging her behind me. She was seething under her breath, harshly glaring at the retreating backs of Aaron and Uncle Carl. If I listened carefully, I almost thought I could've made out the words, "_Happily ... suspended! ... his fault ... kill him..._"

I pretended not to hear some of these.

I turned the corners of the High School easily, quickly losing Henri and Alex as they lagged behind, probably thinking of their next great trick. I felt little resistance from Anna as I threw open the school doors and stalked into the parking lot, finding our four wheeler drive easily.

I could see my other brother's motorcycles parked a few feet away, glistening in the fading sunlight. On a normal day, I would have caught a ride on Alex's bike or, maybe, Henri's if I had the sudden urge to avoid my obnoxious twin brother.

Aaron had taken the passenger seat in the front and was glaring at Anna, once again, through the gap between the seats as she followed me into the car. Henri and Alex appeared a few seconds later and clambered into the very back, behind Anna and I.

Uncle Carl started the car silently and drove smoothly out of the car park.

The drive was kept in an awkward silence. Each one us were silently expecting Uncle Carl to burst into a fit of rage or disappointment. However, he just left us staring at him, eyes expectant.

Truthfully, I couldn't even tell if our suspension had registered his mind yet. He just drove, his eyes glazed like they did when he was deeply in thought.

I can proudly say that I was more than a little bit happy when we finally pulled into the drive way of our farmhouse.

We lived in the Northern parts of California, in the countryside that bore extremely large amounts of vineyards. The house was an old, three story, wooden building which was painted blue and trimmed with white. It was the type of house that you might imagine in a Hollywood Production. It didn't seem large enough to house my siblings and I but, amazingly it did even leaving extra room for a guest room.

Uncle Carl left the car abruptly, muttering something in Greek. I had learned Greek from a young age, as well as everyone else in the family, but he said it so fast that I could only pick up a single word. It sounded suspiciously like '_Gods'_

I frowned as I exited the car and entered the house. Maybe he was praying. Henri and Alex were not very far behind me. They were arguing over who was the better swordsman. Again.

When are eldest brother, Zach, took fencing lessons a decade or so ago, he had convinced us to join him. We quickly surpassed everyone else in our class. We each seemed to show a hidden talent for it except for one of our brothers, Harry, who had simply watched us train in the backyard.

The tempo of the argument between Henri and Alex changed dramatically. Their word's finally penetrating my ears; I glanced at my brothers, listening curiously.

"Dude, you totally owe me."

"For what? You know that bet was false."

"Just hand over the cash and no one will get hurt."

Grumbling, Alex handed a crisp twenty dollar bill over into Henri's hand. Smiling as if the end of the world couldn't bring him down, Henri stuffed the bill into the pocket of his jeans.

"Do I want to know?" I asked, raising a slender eyebrow.

Henri grinned. "Well, you're brother, here, thought that Haden would be suspended before us but I disagreed. I'd like you to make a mighty guess who won that bet?"

"We only needed to hold out for an hour," Alex muttered, "Haden would've been suspended within the _hour, _I swear!"

Henri scoffed. "An hour? I'd say two hours, _at least_."

Alex grinned. I did not like the way this was going. "Wanna bet on that?"

"Bring it on."

* * *

><p><strong>Okey Dokey. I don't like this chapter as much. It's a bit, I dunno, pointless ... or is it?<strong>

**Please review guys! Do you think we could aim for a goal? Tell me what you want! **


	4. Targets

**Thank you for all my readers! I love you all! I'll get to the part where she discovers who she is in the next chapter, I swear!**

**But until then my lovelies, Enoy!**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

In the end, Alex got his twenty dollar bill back. Frankly it didn't surprise us that Haden came home within the hour for mouthing off to a teacher but what did surprise us was the fact that he didn't come home alone.

"Phe?" Henri asked in astonishment.

She frowned, folding a golden curl behind her ear. "What, you don't think someone like me can be suspended?"

"Of course not! You're..." he paused, looking for the right word, "You," He finished lamely.

Phe raised a perfect eyebrow, "Thank you for that lengthy and charming description of me."

She stood in the hallway next to a very sullen looking Haden. Muttering something about videogames, Haden stalked off. Phe watched him leave in mild exasperation, the sun shining onto her through the window, causing her skin to look as if it was practically glowing. I could almost imagine her as a beautiful princess watching her beloved leave forever.

However, I doubt a princess can beat up six men at once with a traditional, antique, Greek sword and still have her hair looking prefect the _entire time._

Yep. That was my sister.

Henri gave Phe one of the hardest glares he could muster which she only replied to with a careless flick of her hair.

"I think what Henri is trying to ask," Anna began, "why were you suspended?"

"Apparently," Phe huffed, "I'm not following correct dress code. They told me to change and I refused. I mean, it takes time to look _this _good."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Simply not following the dress code wasn't exactly a great reason for being suspended. Then I noticed what she was wearing.

She had on what seemed to be a very thin, _very see through _white tank which had been stretched tightly to resemble a dress and from what I could tell, she wasn't wearing a bra. It barely brushed her thighs, leaving her long, slender legs for all to see. White 5 inch heels added height to her already perfect frame. Her blonde curls hung down her back in a wild, almost untameable, frenzy, adding to the lure. To top it all off, she was sucking carelessly on a cherry red lollipop, twirling it around her finger.

She winked playfully, giving us a slow, seductive smile.

"That," Alex began, "Is one stupid dress code."

Phe dimpled. "I know, right?"

With a flick of her long, luscious hair, Phe sauntered off, pausing at the entrance of a doorway to give Aaron a long lingering look. "I'll," she said, a little breathlessly, "see you _later._"

She winked and disappeared.

Not long afterwards, Aaron rushed through the doorway she just left through, trying, and failing, at looking natural.

I growled. "Is she still cheating on Harry?"

Anna sighed. "Looks like it. You would've thought that after last time, she would've of known better then to cheat on him again."

I smiled at the memory. Harry and caught Phe and Aaron making out in the shed and, in his fit of rage, threw the closest thing to him which just happened to be a fishing net. Usually, that would've been quite unsuccessful but the net had tangled itself onto Phe, Aaron and a few various things around them causing them to become twisted and trapped within the net. That had to be the only time I hadn't seen Phe looking perfectly composed.

And it had been freaking hilarious.

Anna grinned at me. "Do you remember that?"

I laughed. "Who wouldn't?"

The laugh slowly died in my throat. It was only then that today's happenings really sunk in. I had been _suspended. _For two _weeks._

What in the gods names was I going to do?

"I'm going to practice my archery," I said, mindlessly, "Do you want to come with me?"

Anna shook her head. "I _hate _archery. The arrows always seem to be following me."

"You don't need to practice with me; you just need to keep me company."

She held up her hands in defeat. "Fine. I might get some homework done anyway."

* * *

><p>Our house was seated on a plot of sixty acres which mainly was dense forest and grassy hills. The house was seated in the crest of two hills; only on the very tops did the forest begin. To the left hill was where we practiced our sword fighting and archery. A few hundred metres within the endless expanse of green, Harry had built something similar to what you might call a corral with high wooden fences. It was small, maybe five by five metres, the ground covered in soft sand. The Archery range was built right beside it, a row of targets lined side by side fifty or so metres away. Amateurs, like Anna, would start closer to the targets and gradually move farther away but those who were more experienced, like myself, would warm up with fifty metres.<p>

I was already at a hundred and fifty.

My arrow landed in the centre with a loud _thunk! _splitting my previous arrow in half. I lowered my bow, turning to face Anna who was sitting on the leaves, back against the trunk of an oak and her books spread around her. A little to my right, Henri and Alex were playing with a long string of see through wire. They were talking animatedly in hushed whispers, gesturing to the wire before glancing suspiciously at the trail.

"Did you see that?" I asked, grinning at the split arrow.

Without looking up, Anna answered, "Yep."

I frowned. "You didn't even look."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn-"

"Ladies, ladies," Alex interrupted, strolling toward us, "Don't fight. If you upset each other, I won't be able to get Anna to do my homework."

Gathering her books slowly, Anna raised her eyebrows at the ground. "What makes you think I'll do that?"

Alex batted his eyelashes, his eyes twinkly mischievously. "Because I'm your brother and you love me?"

"No." Anna answered bluntly.

"Alex! He's coming!"

I glanced over at the direction of Henri's voice, slotting my bow into its sling on my back as I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. Where I thought Henri's voice was coming from was only empty space.

Alex sprinted to the nearest tree, jumping fluidly onto the lowest branch before swinging himself up and disappearing in the canopy. I nodded in satisfaction.

So Henri was in a tree.

Gods know _why _Henri was in a tree but it was satisfying to know that he was in the tree anyway. I guess.

Near the trees that my brothers just disappeared into, the bushes began to rustle, as if the non-existent breeze was blowing them this way and that.

Instinct took over.

A part of me that was usually locked away burst out, coming with a sudden explosion of paranoia.

Lightning quick, I grabbed my bow from its sling and nocked an arrow, my grip tense as I stared at the bushes with an intense focus. It was as if the world around me had slowed down, allowing me to see each individual colour of each individual leaf. I felt as if I was aware of everything. Without looking, I knew that a squirrel was taking advantage of myself being distracted and was hopping among the archery equipment but I found I didn't care. The squirrel wasn't my target. My ears throbbed and my vision tunnelled until all I could see was that particular bush.

Uncle Carl emerged from the bush.

Just like that, it left. The sudden burst of paranoia and heightened senses were once again safely locked away. Nothing was left to leave as evidence that I even felt it. It just happened then left. I blinked myself out of my daze, lowering my bow.

What had just happened?

Anna gave me a weird look. "Are you okay, Mia? You've been a bit jumpy today."

"I have, haven't I?" I whispered.

Uncle Carl hurried towards us, looking a tiny bit flustered. He was still wearing his lab coat but it was now tarnished with what seemed to be a very fresh coffee stain. Only the Gods knew if he attempted to figure out the coffee machine again. It seemed to have developed a very firm hatred against him.

He spared a moment to stare at me, a rush of different emotions crossing his face, before saying, "Now, as you all know, I have a conference in the City tonight and I won't be back until tomorrow morning. While I'm gone, I want all of you to be on your best behaviour, is that clear?"

We nodded mutely.

"When Zach comes home," he continued, "he will be in charge. Everything you'll do will go through Zach first. Do you understand?"

We nodded again.

He nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'll be leaving in another half hour or so. I'm trusting you so don't prove me wrong by doing anything like...," he paused then sighed, "Just keep an eye on Henri and Alex and you'll be fine."

A small smile lit up my lips and I nodded again.

Giving me another calculating look, he turned on his heel, walking between the trees that I somehow knew Alex and Henri were in.

He was a good twenty metres away when he called over his shoulder, grinning, "Oh, and boys? The see through trip-wire was a nice touch but it didn't work. Again."

I blinked. What was he talking about?

I glanced at the forest floor, turning my head to the side as I studied the ground intensely. I took a small breath when I saw a thin wire glittering in the sunlight. The wire I had seen the boys toying with earlier was cleverly tied to each tree in such a fashion that it was almost impossible to see. It was trip-wire.

I really should've seen that coming.

A loud groan emitted from both trees and both boys jumped gracefully down from their perch. A fine sheen of sweat covered both of them and, I noticed with amusement, they had taken off their shirts in the tree. Taking one look at Uncle Carl and the trip-wire, they began a heated argument, gesturing wildly to the trip-wire.

"Uncle Carl's good."

I glanced over at Anna who was staring at Uncle Carl's retreating form in awe.

I nodded briefly before turning to face the stacks of archery equipment. When Alex's and I's love for archery became apparent, Uncle Carl had gone out of his way to get the perfect bow for each of us.

In the end, neither of us could decide which bow was our favourite so, instead, we wheedled Uncle Carl in letting us keep all of them. We now had a variety of different bows; Compact bows, Recurve bows, Laminated bows, long bows nearly as tall as myself, short bows and even a cross bow or two.

I preferred my own Recurve bow while Alex was often seen with his Compact bow but neither of us used only one type of bow. We tried to use each bow evenly.

I had just placed my quiver and bow back onto their designated racks when footsteps alerted me to Anna's presence.

Folding a raven black lock behind her ear, she announced quietly, "I'm going to go back inside."

I shrugged and untied my bracer, laying it beside my bow. "I'll be there in a moment. Don't wait for me."

"Okay."

She walked away, carrying a towering pile of books with her.

Just then, an idea hit me. "Oh and Anna?" I shouted back, turning to face her, "Remember the trip-wi-"

A loud shriek filled the air, quickly followed by the loud tumbling and _crash!_ of books. I winced.

Henri and Alex had abruptly stopped their argument and were now staring, mouths agape, at Anna who, it seemed, had tripped over the trip-wire, her books thrown carelessly across the ground. Her face was flushed in anger and looked very much like she was ready to kill.

"That," she hissed, "it the last time I will be used by them," her voice rose to a yell as she stood, fists clenched, "Did you hear that boys? You better sleep with one eye open because I'm going to make your life miserable!"

Henri made a very smart move and took a step back, away from the furious Anna, however, Alex just laughed. "And how are you going to do that? You'll never catch us. We're the fastest in the family."

"I may not be fast," Anna seethed, "but I'm not the smartest girl in the school for nothing. I'll pay you back and you won't even realise until it's over! Count on it, boys!"

Alex, finally getting a clue, followed Henri's lead and took a cautious step back. Anna's eyes sparked in anger before whirling around to face the house and stalking off.

I winced.

I knew that look in Anna's eyes. The last time my calm, collected sister had that look in her eyes, our household lived in constant fear that one of us might have been the one to cause her anger. We knew that if it was one of us, whoever it was wouldn't last long enough to see the next sunrise.

Thank the gods that her anger had never been directed at me.

Henri and Alex shared a panicked look and quickly melted into the bushes, disappearing silently. Having nothing else to do, I cautiously began to follow the trail Anna had retreated into, following the winding path until the trail gave way to grass and began to slope steeply downhill. Our Victorian styled house lay directly below me.

A figure was leisurely strolling towards the front door. From this height, all I could tell was that the figure was blonde and male. For a brief second I thought that it could've been Alex but I quickly dismissed the thought.

Sure, my brother might not have been the smartest person in the world but he wouldn't have put himself in a position that was directly in front of Anna's line of fire.

I hope.

I carefully threaded my way down the hill, angling myself so that I would meet our mysterious visitor. Half way down, the boy saw me and broke into a massive smile. I couldn't help but freeze and return the smile, waving slightly as if some invisible force had forced my hand.

"Mia!" he called.

The voice was familiar but in a newly registered kind of way.

As I neared, I finally had a glimpse of the blonde boy. My smile became more genuine instantly. "Eric!"

* * *

><p><strong>What did you think? Can you guess who everyone is so far? <strong>

**Next chapter, I'll get into the juicy parts, okay?**

**But until then R&R :P**


	5. Spring Cleaning

**Sorry for the wait, guys! Just a little teaser but Uncle Carl is NOT a reincarnation. He is just a scientist who just happened to come across these 12 kids. Okay?**

**Coolios. Keep guessing guys! Some of your guesses are incredibly accurate!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

"Well, look what the cat brought in."

Eric grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Perched precariously on one hand was a large stack of text books and notepads. He held them out to me carefully.

"I brought you your homework."

Placing one hand underneath the pile, I took them into my hands, careful not to tip them over. I tried to express my graciousness into a small smile but, knowing myself, it probably turned out to be a smirk.

He grinned awkwardly, placing his hands in his pockets. "So," he began, "Do you want to do some homework?"

I blinked in surprise. "Together?"

"Well, yeah."

I glanced at him warily. It wasn't exactly often that I had boys asking me out on study dates.

"Umm," I trailed off, thinking, "Come on in then."

I stepped to the side and gestured to the open front door. Looking very pleased with himself, Eric side-stepped passed me and into the cool hallway. I followed him, locking the door behind me.

"Just let me get my laptop."

He nodded absent-mindedly, trailing behind me as I entered my shared room. With one glance, I knew that Phe had once again completely taken over our room. Clothes were strewn everywhere, resting in piles as tall as myself. From personal experience, I knew that the largest pile of my clothes would be the clothes that, according to Phe, were absolutely appalling and needed to be thrown away. Stepping quickly over the mountains of clothes, I grabbed my leather vest from the pile, stuffing it quickly under my bed in an attempt to save it from Phe's after summer clean out.

I could also tell, straight away, that my purple lap-top wasn't there either.

I turned to face and Eric and froze. He was looking at my room with a mixture of confusion and amazement.

"It looks like a hurricane it you room," he observed.

Grabbing his hand, I dragged him out into the hallway, muttering, "Yeah, hurricane Phoebe."

He twisted his head a final time, trying to catch a last glimpse of the bombshell that was my room. I would get Phe later for that.

Eric seemed to find my life a situation which was entirely too amusing for him so far, trying to keep a straight face while I led him out through the backdoor.

"Alex!" I screamed to the empty vastness of grass.

Eric let go of my hand and leaned against the wall, his eyes watching everything in mild amusement. I felt like hurting him.

Alex and Henri appeared by my side in an instant, as if by magic. They appeared to have changed their clothes, switching their white T-shirts for olive green ones and brown trousers. I didn't take much imagination to see them with green and brown stripes decorating their cheeks.

I stifled a laugh.

It looked like they were preparing for war.

Their eyes immediately zoned onto Eric though both of them had different reactions. Alex's face immediately closed like a book, a hard mask replacing his usual laughing features. Henri, however, was staring at Eric with a look that could only be called defeat. Henri was feeling defeat.

"And who are you?" Alex asked coldly.

Eric opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "Eric," I replied hurriedly, "He's just a friend."

Alex closed the distance between him and Eric in an instant, giving him a look of pure and utter loathing. "You better be," he hissed, "because if you lay a finger on my sister, I will hunt you down."

I raised my eyebrows in shock, "Alex!" I snapped. He turned to face me, his eyes wide and innocent. "Can you lay off him for a second?"

"Fine," He snarled, "But if he does anything to you-"

"Dude," Henri cut in, "Back off. Mia can handle herself."

I glared at Alex as he sighed and returned to his position beside Henri. It wasn't an incredibly large secret that Alex was over-protective of me. He was once suspended for beating up a kid who made the mistake of trying to touch me. I had once thought that what he did then was taking it too far but now I felt completely differently after seeing him today.

"Thanks Henri," I said, offering a grateful smile.

He shrugged his shoulders limply. "No problem. You wanted us?"

"I was wondering if you had seen my lap-top?"

"Ask Phe," he responded.

"Thanks."

Henri gave me a small smile to which I returned. His eyes wandered over to Eric before hastily glancing back at me. Eric, however, was openly staring at Henri with a bemused expression, his hands twitching as if he was used to holding something in his hands.

I frowned, my forehead creasing with I heard a voice.

"Aaron, calm down!"

I flipped my head to the side with wary suspicion. The voice sounded strangely like Anna's. All of a sudden, Aaron burst through the back door, the door flying open with enough force to crack a tree. Anna was not too far behind him, closing the door, swiftly and quietly, behind him. She silently leaned against the wall besides Eric, arms crossed and eyes watching carefully as if she was analysing every move we made.

Aaron, features pulled into a mask of uncontrollable rage, strode up to Henri and Alex until they were barely an inch apart. The boys stood their ground as the air practically steamed in the air around them. Aaron looked _livid_. "You are dead for what you did."

They took a cautious step back.

"Not that I don't mind your warped logic," Henri said, holding his hands out in front of him, "but we haven't done anything," he paused, thinking, then added, "Yet."

This, however, only seemed to enrage Aaron even further. "Haven't!" he spat, a very impressive vein pulsing at his temple, "If you haven't then, what in the gods names, is that!"

Our gazes followed where he was pointing, his breath coming in short ragged pants. I raised my eyebrows in mild surprise. Hanging from the flagpole, where our country flag usually hung, was a pair of dark blue boxer shorts and, from what it looked like, they seemed to be decorated with very detailed pictures of sponge-bob and crabby patties.

Alex raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Sponge-bob. Nice. Have to say though, that's not really our style. It's too basic."

"Then who," Aaron hissed through clenched teeth, "do you might think might have done it? Anna?"

Henri, who had opened his mouth to speak, abruptly snapped it shut. He stared at Anna, who was smirking at them as if she had just conquered the world, realisation dawning on his face.

"But it _was_ Anna," he said, pointing at my suddenly very innocent looking sister, "Aaron, _she_ was the one who did it!"

He scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that? That this," he paused, glancing at Anna briefly, "_hamster _of a girl would do that?"

"Yes!"

He smirked. "You better run."

The boys hesitated for moment before sprinting up the hill, panic evident on their faces. I could hear them arguing as their feet almost flew over the grass.

Cracking his knuckles menacingly, Aaron charged up the hill with a battle cry. The boys had already disappeared into the tree by the time he reached the top but, if the yelling was taken into consideration, they had left quite a trail to follow.

I gave Anna a disparaging look.

"What?" she asked, "It wasn't my fault that Aaron wanted a fight with them. All I did was give him a reason to do it."

"And by doing that," I retorted, "You just condemned our brothers to death."

She shrugged. "Hey, they have no one to blame but their selves."

Giving the flagpole a final self-satisfied smirk, Anna strutted back into the house.

I offered Eric an apologetic look. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

He grinned. "Not at all. I have three half-brothers so I know what it's like with sibling rivalry. I still don't want to get on the bad side of your brother though."

I gave him a humourless smile, barely an upturn of the lips. "Which one?"

We walked back into the house at a slow pace. I had almost given up on Eric's answer when he said, "I'd have to say Henri."

I blinked in surprise. Eric looked completely serious, however. "Henri? Why would Henri be angry with you?"

He looked at me, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "You really don't know, do you?"  
>"Know what?"<p>

He grinned, shaking his head. "You'll find out soon enough, I'm guessing."

Music was beginning to waft towards our ears. The beat was a low and haunting melody, pulsing through the air like liquid darkness. It drifted its way into my soul, curling around a dark side of me like smoke, twisting and beckoning to have me let it out.

Only one person was capable of listening to music like that and not go absolutely crazy.

I turned sharply into the kitchen, dragging a very baffled Eric behind me. What I saw caused me to freeze, Eric nearly crashing into me before halting as well, open-mouthed.

The curtains were drawn, the room full with a smoky, almost hazy darkness. I traced the source of the music back to an IPod Docking station, set on the side of the kitchen table. But what was the most shocking was Phe. She was dancing to the beat of the music, her hips dipping low and swaying from side to side. The edge of her shirt/dress pulled up considerably, showing off more flawless skin and, just barely, the bottom of her underwear. Some of the moves she performed were, let me tell you, not exactly what you might call PG rated.

I was actually thinking of something more along the lines of R rated.

I coughed loudly, roughly yanking Eric behind me, starting him from his shock.

Quick as a flash, Phe pivoted, snatching up a butcher's knife that had been left out on the cutting board. She pointed the knife at us, her eyes cold and unfriendly. For a split second, the girl in front of me looked nothing like my sister. She looked like someone who was incredibly capable of slashing anyone who stood in her path to bloody ribbons.

And then, just like that, it was gone.

She relaxed, grinning slightly as she placed the knife carefully back on the kitchen counter. She acted as if she hadn't just pointed a knife at us, as if she wasn't bothered by it at all. Her precious baby blue eyes almost immediately zoned onto Eric.

I could almost feel him taking an involuntary step back, shying away from her gaze. I didn't like the way she was looking at him, either. It was as if she was mentally undressing him.

"And who is this?" she cooed, "A boyfriend?"

Before I could answer, she took a sly step forward, closer to Eric. "Toned, soft hair, sharp cheekbones and, oh, take a look at those eyelashes. I bet girls would kill for those," she nodded, "I approve."

"What can I say?" Eric smirked, "I have good genes."

"Oh, I can tell, mister god of love," she purred.

I glanced sharply at Eric, noticing that he looked as if he could barely contain his laughter. He released a chuckle. "I bet you can."

Phe nodded once again. "Cocky, I like that. Good thing he's claimed by you, Mia, or I might just take him for myself."

"He's not my boyfriend," I protested.

She raised a delicate eyebrow. "Oh, really now?"

She gave Eric another once over, similar to a lioness analysing her prey before striking. It was more than a little unnerving.

I leaned slightly to the left, blocking Eric partially from Phe's view.

"We came to see you because we were wondering if you had seen my laptop anywhere."

"Your laptop?" she replied, her gaze never wavering from Eric's, "I think it might be in Uncle Carl's study."

"Thanks, Phe. Can you take care of Eric until I get back?"

Biting her lip, Phe sauntered up to Eric who shifted from side to side on the balls of his feet, watching the rapidly shrinking distance between himself and Phe with an almost fearful expression.

"Oh, don't worry," She breathed, "I'll take _very _good care of him."

I had already left the room and crossed the hallway when I realised that it probably hadn't been such a good idea to leave Eric with my sister. The way she was looking at him was as if she was looking at a shiny new toy. A toy that, when she was done with it, would be discarded, sullen and lonely, just like the rest.

Even from an early age, Phe had never understood the saying, 'ask permission.' She lived by one rule and one rule only.

If you wanted something, take it and ask questions later.

I'm not saying that Phe doesn't believe in love. In fact, when it came to conversations about love, Phe would defend the emotion fiercely, saying that love was a sacred thing and that it should be treasured. She would also say, around then, that she loved, with all her heart, her current boy toy, saying that he was _the one _in a heartbeat. However, she would dump the poor boy just as quickly.

I decided against returning to the kitchen to fetch Eric. I would get my laptop and return to Eric within minutes. How much could Phe do in that amount of time?

Uncle Carl' study was usually off limits. It was an area where he would disappear into for hours, working on whatever work project that would be keeping him busy at the time.

It was a cosy, circular room, rosewood bookshelves lining the walls. The books within them were obviously cared for and loved, ranging from old leather bound books with no title to fairly recent novels dedicated to Greek Mythology, Science and even a Greek to English Dictionary.

Uncle Carl, in his spare time, attempted to teach us as much about Greece and its language as possible, saying that, one day, it might come in handy. I have never given much thought to why it would come in handy though. Frankly, I enjoyed the language and, like my archery and track, it was just something I was naturally good at. It was as if I had already learnt it yet had just forgotten and, only now, had I started remembering it.

The desk was a huge single slab of rosewood, showing intricately carved scenes of battle.

A large powerful man cutting his way through an entire army, another man reaching an arm back, preparing to throw what looked like a glimmering lightning bolt. Other scenes showed beautiful yet powerful women. One, with hair unbound, was aiming an arrow at wolf, waiting for the opportune moment to strike while another scene showed a regal women sitting on a throne, looking down on those around her with cold and unforgiving eyes.

Settled on the top of the desk, was my neon purple laptop. Grinning, I snatched it, glancing briefly at a sliver of light that seemed to be shining across the room.

I froze.

I had thought that I had closed the door behind me. I checked, glancing behind me.

The door was still firmly shut, causing no light. The sliver of light was still stretching across the length of the room, though. I could hear my blood pounding through my ears.

I felt as if I was in one of those horror movies Haden loved so much. The rational part of my mind said that it was always those who investigated first that were killed but I pushed that thought away. It wouldn't help me now.

The sliver seemed to emitting from one of the bookshelfs. I stared at the shelf, analysing it. I stepped closer when I realised that the bookshelf was at an odd angle. It was angled outwards, towards me, one side of it not touching the wall completely. The light was coming from the tiny gap in between the wall and the bookshelf, the light's source noticeably behind the shelf.

It was almost like the shelf had been deliberately left in that angle as if the shelf was something like a door.

Silence pounded through me. A door.

The bookshelf was a door.

I burst out of the room, past a very shocked Uncle Carl, and back into the kitchen in record time, barely breaking a sweat.

What I saw then, frankly, didn't quite surprise me.

Phe was draping herself against a very dishevelled looking Eric like a blonde parrot, pushing her tongue down his throat. He struggled to push her off, finally succeeding with an almighty shove. Placing an arm against the wall to brace himself, he stared at the floor, glassy eyed. "That," he muttered, "was disgusting."

Phe looked at him in rage. "Are you calling me repulsive?"

Before he could reply, I grasped Eric's forearm and pushed him out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

"Eric," I begged, "I need you to go."

He gave me a shocked look. "What? You know I didn't mean that with Phe bu-"

"Eric," I shouted, "It wasn't that. I just need you to go."

I squeezed open the door, shoving Eric out onto the porch.

"I'm sorry, Eric," I said quietly, "Can you come back another time? I just have some things to figure out right now."

He gave me a concerned look. "Sure. If you nee-"

I slammed the door.

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><p><strong>How do you like it so far? I promised the juicy parts and here they are! Expect the story to be at a more faster pace from now on, okay?<strong>

**Tell me what you think! R&R :-D**


	6. Do you dare hunt the huntress

**Sorry guys for the wait! My laptop actually broke down! Conveniant, eh?**

**Well, last time I checked, I left you at quite a cliff hanger (well, not really). I hope you enjoy! :P**

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

"Alex!" I screamed.

I scrambled up the hill, sweat pouring down my face. I wasn't in my right mind, thoughts running through my mind like race horses. I could've been hallucinating. Perhaps I didn't actually see anything out of the ordinary when I had entered Uncle Carl's study but, somewhere, I _knew _I hadn't been hallucinating. There was just a part of myself telling me that there was something behind that shelf, something that I desperately wanted.

However, I didn't exactly know what that mysterious item was.

"Alex!" I repeated, though not as loud.

I had past the first few trees of the forest when I heard a noise above my head. It was the snapping of twigs.

I slowed my pace, halting at the side of a great oak tree. The shadows seemed to pressing down on me from all sides, looming. It was surprising how dark it had gotten only a few metres in the forest.

"Alex?" I called out tentatively, my hand desperately wishing for my bow.

A dark shadow suddenly dropped from the air, landing evenly on the ground before straightening. I didn't stop to think that the shadow had jumped from ten feet in the air and had landed with confident ease. It was too distracted. The shadow smirked, stepping forwards to reveal himself.

I frowned, narrowing my gaze. "You're not Alex, Henri."

"Neither do I want to be considering where he probably is at the moment."

His words were almost immediately followed by a series of high pitched yipping noises. They sounded eerily like Alex. I winced.

I had almost forgotten about Aaron hunting them down. That probably explained why Henri was, once again, in a tree. He was hiding. That and I also had a theory he was strangely possessive of trees.

"Fine," I seethed, grasping his arm, "You'll have to do."

He look slightly lost as I began to pull out of the forest and down the hill. "I'll have to do what?"

"You'll see."

* * *

><p>"It's a bookshelf."<p>

Henri had, with quite a bit of reluctance, allowed himself to be dragged into Uncle Carl's study. However, when we had entered, the bookshelf was once again angled correctly and the sliver of light was mysteriously absent.

I had mentally cursed myself. I had remembered running past Uncle Carl before yet I had barely noticed it then. He must have remembered the open shelf and had returned quickly to close it before leaving for the city.

However, it had left me with quite a bit to explain to Henri.

"Yes, I realise it's a bookshelf," I snapped impatiently.

"And the bookshelf is special?"

"It's not the bookshelf, Henri!"

Realisation dawned on his features, a grin lighting up his face. "Then it's the books!"

"No!" I felt compelled to scream. "It's what's behind the bookshelf."

He looked at me blankly. "A wall?"

I threw my hands up. "No! The bookshelf is a door."

He blinked, sitting down on a chair and placing his feet up on Uncle Carl's immaculate desk. "So," he began, entwining his hands behind his head, "are you trying to tell me that Uncle Carl has a hidden door behind a bookshelf that leads to a secret room where he conducts illegal experiments?" He frowned. "Cliché."

"Believe me, Henri! When I came in here to find my laptop, the bookshelf was open, like a door."

"And how," he said, tone disinterested. "Did this door close? By magic?"

I faltered. "No. I think Uncle Carl must have been remembered that he had left it open and returned to close it after I left the room."

"How convenient," he muttered.

I sighed. I knew this was going nowhere.

Henri had remained adamantly refusing to believe a single word I said. However, even I had to admit that what I was saying was a bit farfetched but I _knew _I was right.

"Henri," I said, quieter then last time, "I know you trust me so, please, do me this small favour and trust me now. I'll make it count."

He raised his eyes to mine, his emerald eyes studying my face. He sighed. "I trust you," he said finally, giving me a defeated look.

I grinned in triumph. "Excellent."

He eyed me warily as I walked briskly to the shelf, studying the spines of the books. "What now?"

"Search the desk for anything that might open the door. A lever, a button or maybe even a remote. I don't care what you find, as long as it opens the door."

He raised his eyebrows in exasperation. "Are you seriously telling me to look for a secret lever to open the secret doorway behind the bookshelf?" he shook his head, "Honestly, I think I've been transported to the world of Scooby Doo."

I gave him a withering glare as he, grudgingly, got up from the chair and began to sift through the various papers on top of Uncle Carl's desk.

Meanwhile, I gazed at the bookshelf itself. If I hadn't seen it open, I would've thought the bookshelf completely ordinary. It didn't really show anything terribly obvious about the secret it had. I switched my gaze to the contents of the shelf.

I had gathered so far that the shelf was typically used for storing novels and old volumes dedicated to Greek Mythology. There were separate volumes for each one of the Olympian Gods as well as separate volumes for the most renowned Demi-gods. Some of the books I could tell were as old as the giant oak tree in our garden, in fact, I wouldn't have be surprised if some of the novels dated all the way back to Ancient Greece.

A book bound in dark green leather caught my attention. It was a massive object and from what I could tell, it had no title visible. I frowned.

"Hey, Henri?" I called over my shoulder, "Have you ever seen Uncle Carl with this book before?"

He appeared by my side in an instant, gazing intensely at the leather bound book. After a moment of studying, he shook his head, "I've never even seen this book in my life."

I gave him a side-along look. I had feeling we were both thinking the same thing. It felt like an eternity as I reached out my hand, grasping the soft leather of the book and tugging it back.

I took a quick step back as the shelf swung open in a breath air, crashing into Henri. Strong hands encircled my waist, keeping me from falling, but I barely noticed.

I was right.

There_ was _a door behind the shelf. The shelf had now completely swung outwards, revealing a dark, gloomy corridor. I couldn't see any farther then maybe a few feet, the depths shrouded in inky darkness. However, at the very end, I could just see a single dingy light bulb hanging from a thin wire, barely giving enough radiance to illuminate the corridor.

A low hiss escaped Henri's lips. "You were right," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. His voice was filled with awe and more than a little shock. I was absolutely sure that he hadn't believed me.

Excitement filled me like an empty void yet it was plagued with a sense of dread. I realised that there was a part of me that had wanted me to be hallucinating. I hadn't wanted to discover that Uncle Carl had been keeping secrets from us, that the man who had been the only father figure in our lives was the one who told us the most lies.

Since, I had been secretly hoping I was wrong but now that I had discovered that I hadn't, a part of me was mourning the image I had kept of Uncle Carl. I knew that, from now on, I would never look at him the same way again.

"So," Henri began, shocking me from my reverie, "Should we take a look?"

I turned in his arms and became suddenly aware of just how close he was to me. I could basically feel the warmth of his body seeping into me. I widened my eyes and ripped his arms away from me, taking a step back. An odd emotion flickered through his face before he crossed his arms, smirking.

I scowled at him. I want nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face with a very well aimed punch but, instead, I swiftly turned on my heel and stalked into the darkness.

The stone floor sloped at a curve, leading myself round and round as I briskly walked downwards, barely hesitant of what might have lied before me. I thought I was perhaps half way down the slope when I began to hear the sounds of Henri following me. I smirked.

I knew curiosity would overcome him.

The tunnel began to gradually grow lighter, the dark gloominess of the passage way turning into an almost light coloured grey. I stepped out of the tunnel, shock immediately flooding me.

The room looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. It was easily the size of a small football stadium and stark white. It gave off the feeling of every inch of the room being scrubbed to immaculate perfection and sterilized, every surface glimmering.

Steel Catwalks crisscrossed their way by the ceiling, leading to heavily reinforced doors. The doors were massive, large and deep scratches blemishing the surface. LCD TV's hung from every possible wall space, each showing its own unique document or video. Stainless steel tables were perched underneath each screen. Across the wide area, I could barely make out perhaps twelve glass cases standing on pedestals.

"Damn."

Henri's voice sounded as he took his place beside me.

"I can't believe we didn't know this was down here."

I shook my head, my eyes drinking in the sight. "I can't either."

He wandered over to a screen to the left, studying it with an intensity that no teenager should possess.

Following his example, I strolled past the lines of various TV's. I was nearly at the end of the line, by the glass cabinets, when a single screen caught my eye.

Curiosity roes up inside as I edged my way closer to the screen. The screen was showing a video of a rundown alleyway, the footage grainy like a security feed. It seemed like the place no one would enter but, in the video, three old crones were standing side by side amongst a throng of children. The crones were staring impassively at a young brown haired man, their wrinkled faces giving away no emotion. A shock ran through me as I recognized the young man. I was looking at an obviously younger version of Uncle Carl as he stared at the horde of children in confusion.

There was something eerily familiar about the children as they ran around the crones, screaming and laughing. I felt like I should've known them yet I also felt as if I had never seen them in my life. One little girl caught my eye.

She looked perhaps around five or six years old, her dirty blonde hair barely reaching her shoulders. She stood with her back straight, her eyes constantly watching the other children yet seemingly taking no notice of the small boy beside her. The blonde boy was angled slightly across her as if he was shielding her. I stifled a laugh. It was extremely similar to what Alex used to do with me when we were children.

I froze. Alex.

The blonde haired boy looked exactly as Alex had when he was young which meant that the girl beside him would be...

I scanned the crowd of children quickly. I could make out Aaron's tuft of black hair taunting a crying Anna as she sat on the pavement. I could see Deanna, Helena, Po and Zach playing tag roughly around the crones. I could see every single one of my brothers and sisters in that small, uninteresting alley way, however, I couldn't remember a single thing about the three old crones.

"Mia," Henri called. I glanced behind me to see him studying a monitor eerily similar to how I was. "You should see this."

Giving him an inquiring glance, I made my way slowly towards him, hurrying slightly when he made an impatient growl.

He gestured to twelve different screens. "These ones have our names on it but..." he trailed off and then frowned, "You'll have to see for yourself."

I frowned and stared at one of the screens Henri had pointed out.

In large bold letters at the top, read the words, "**Amelia Lewis, Artemis**"

Below it was a picture of me from a few years ago. It showed myself in the process of shooting an arrow, a look of the most utmost concentration. My long hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, a few stray tendrils framing my face.

I had to admit, it was probably one of the only photos ever taken of me that I actually liked.

Below the picture, paragraphs were written on my apparent life but, from one look, I knew that it wasn't describing _my _life. It was describing the Greek Goddess, Artemis's, yet it was written as if I had lived that life, as if that _had _been my life.

"What the hell?" I muttered. "Who are you?"

He crinkled his brow together. "It says that my name is Hermes."

"So Uncle Carl had this lab built just so he could match us to which Greek god we're most similar to?"

He shrugged. "We haven't checked out the glass cases yet. Who knows, we might find something a bit more helpful there."

I gave the screen a final glance before following Henri, winding between rows of stainless steel tables. A few of the tables were stained with faded red blotches. I shuddered when I thought of what might have caused them.

I let out a slight _oomph! _as I collided with something very solid and very warm. Irritation running through me, I looked up to glare at Henri. He wasn't looking at me.

He was looking at the contents of one of the glass cases. I leaned to the side and nearly fell over.

Laying on a red velvet pillow, was a lightning bolt.

It was perhaps a two feet long, jagged cylinder, crackling and sparking as golden electricity ran its length. To me, it actually looked like a lightning bolt that one would usually see shooting out of the sky. But I knew that you couldn't just pluck a lightning bolt from the sky.

Henri slowly reached his hand out, as if willing it to pass through the glass, but I slapped it away. He turned to face me, cradling his hand.

"What did you do that for?" he asked, hurt and inspecting his red hand closely, "This could be fatal. How would you feel if you caused my death?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Emotionless since you'd probably kill yourself before I had the chance. I don't know if that thing is real but I do know that that is _real _electricity. You don't _touch _electricity, Henri."

He grinned. "Worried about me?"

"Never," I replied coolly.

Giving him a final glare, I stalked towards the other glass cases, leaving him by the lightning bolt.

From what I could tell, there were twelve pedestals and twelve glass cases, each one holding an absolutely insane relic. I had sworn I had passed a case holding a pair of ancient sandals with tiny fluttering wings attached to the sides. Another held an old, mossy trident while another held a round, Greek shield with what looked like a gorgon's head carved into the bronze. I had even seen what looked like a shimmering, golden girdle.

However, while each relic seemed obviously precious and exceptionally beautiful, none of them particularly fascinated me.

Henri was staring, utterly engrossed, at the pair of winged sandals, his face pulled into a mask of wonder and awe. I was just about to return to him when something caught my eye.

I turned slowly to face yet another glass case. I could tell that I hadn't seen that particular one yet because, at the bottom of the case, engraved into a bronze plate, read the words, "**Artemis's Arrows**"

My gaze rose, past a midnight blue cushion, until I was staring at the most beautifully carved bow and quiver of arrows I'd ever seen.

The quiver was a simple leather case yet it held the most amazing ebony arrows, fletched by royal blue feathers. I could tell instantly that they would glide through the air like magic, as if guided by an unseen hand. The arrows heads were silver and looked sharp enough to kill.

Yet it was the bow that caught my attention. It was made from the same ebony wood as the arrows yet, carved into the wood with great skill and precision, were long flowing words written in Ancient Greek. I squinted at the wood, forcing myself to register the script.

_Do you dare hunt the huntress?_

I could finally read the words. A sudden sense of desire filled me. I wanted nothing more than to hold the bow, to run my hands over its smooth, ebony wood and see if it really was as strong as I thought it was.

As if in a trance, I slowly reached out and unlatched the latch, pushing back the top layer of glass.

Reaching into the case, I grasped the creamy texture of the wood. Pain almost immediately lanced up my arm, as if acid had been poured onto the sensitive skin. I let out a shriek as the pain rapidly spread through-out my body, my skin throbbing. I felt as I had been dipped in acid, trampled by a horses and run through by a sword all at once. It was unbearable.

A sudden rush of fear ran through me. Another scream tore its way out of my throat but I didn't notice. Everything around me seemed to blur together, my head pounding to the beat of an unknown rhythm. Electricity seemed to be hammering at the inside of my skull, over and over again. All I knew was that I needed to get away.

Instinct took over. I bolted from the room, up the stone stairway and through the house. I felt as if I had finally found that something I had been searching for. That after such a long time, after so much pain, I had found the one thing that would finally complete me. But now that I had found it, I didn't want it.

I suddenly didn't want the item that completed me. I wanted to give it back and live my life, ignorant that I would never be the same again.

That was what I was running from.

Another shock of pain pierced me and it took all my strength not to double over in pain. My insides were swirling, twisting and knotting into one jumbled heap, bile rising in my throat

I dashed through the forest, past my brothers and my sisters, the scenery blurring together.

My body had suddenly felt as if it had erupted into flames. I dropped to my knees, holding my head in my hands as I let out another tortured shriek. It felt as if a part of my mind that was usually kept under lock and key was tearing its way to the outside world, not caring if it permanently maimed me forever.

Another wave of pain racked through me. Dizziness overtook my mind and my vision begun to fade slowly to black.

The last emotion I felt before I blacked out was fear, irrational, uncontrollable and blinding fear.

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you think? Do you like the way the story is going cause I sure do!<strong>

**Tell me what you think might happen! Can you guess what will happen? What do you want to happen?**


	7. The Beginning

**Did you like the last chapter? The story is going to be kinda a bit more dramatic from now on but ill try to keep some sibling rivalry and humour in the story, okay?**

**I hope you like it all my lovelies :-D**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

"What the hell was that?"

"I have no idea."

"Maybe she was high?"

"My sister? High? Not a chance."

"Well next time she goes all Xena Warrior Princess on us, don't blame me for not searching her room in time."

I groaned, my head throbbing viciously from a piercing pain. I felt like the time Henri had accidentally pushed me off the stairs resulting in a concussion. Immediately the voices began to cease, followed by muttered whispers and the sound of footsteps. I could barely make out the words, "Battle positions!"

What?  
>I thought back to the last memory I had. If I had remembered correctly, I had just left Eric with Phe in the kitchen. But if that was true, it didn't explain why I had been knocked out or why my head was pounding. Every time I would try and think back, I seemed to reach a block almost, as if someone had wiped my memories clean.<p>

Groggily, I opened my eyes.

I was lying on my bed. On any other day, it would've been a perfectly normal experience to wake up. Except this time, every single one of siblings were standing around me, armed. I blinked.

Something had obviously that I didn't know about.

"What happened?" I groaned. I was surprised to realise that my voice was incredibly hoarse as I had spent quite a bit of time yelling.

I my eyes immediately zoned in on Henri. He gave me a knowing look as if he and I shared some unknown secret. He winked which only enhanced my confusion.

Zach took a bold step forward, a sword at his side. He looked at me with suspicious eyes, scanning my body before saying, "Can't you remember anything?"

He reached up to swipe a stray jet black hair from his face. Zach was the eldest of our family along with Haden and Po. He was the one who had taken on the role of leader since a young age, helping us with our anger and ADHD.

His blue eyes pierced me as if they could see through my soul.

I shook my head. "I remember leaving Eric in the kitchen and then everything after that is a blank."

He frowned sharing a worried glance with Po who was pointing a double bladed staff at me.

"Prove it."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

Zach nodded briefly. "Prove to me that what you're saying is true and that you really are Mia."

"What do you mean if I really am Mia! Of course I'm Mia!"

I struggled myself into an upright, or I would have if it haven't been for a slight problem. Long, thick rope wound its way across my body and the mattress, successfully tying me to the bed.

"Oh no." I heard someone mutter.

"Can someone please tell me," I hissed, my voice rising to a scream, "why I'm tied to a bed!"

Po took a step back. "For your protection?" he offered.

"Someone untie me from the bed! Now!"

My sisters, Deanna and Helena, hurried forwards, their hands flying through the ropes as they attempted to untie me. Deanna had an olive skin tone and, if I hadn't known her, I might have mistaken her for a modern day Pocahontas. Her dark hair was lush and beautiful, black enough that it seemed like it was shining. Helena, however, was the complete opposite.

While Deanna was all dark colours and shades, Helena was as bright and fair as the sun. Her hair hung down her back in fine golden strands, shimmering as she and Deanna moved away from my now untied body.

"I'm pretty sure its Mia," Alex muttered, leaning casually against the wall besides the door. As if he was guarding it.

I sat up, crossing my arms in a stubborn gesture. Almost instantly, everyone in the room lowered their weapons.

"Can someone please tell me what in the gods' names is going on?"

Henri opened his mouth to speak but Zach cut him off. "Helena," he said, his gaze never wavering from mine, "Show Mia what you recorded."

Helena nodded, her fair skin tensing as she slowly approached me, keeping as much distance as possible between herself and me as she held out her cell phone.

I took it from her as she hurriedly scurried back to Zach, placing a fearful hand on his arm. Those two were known as the Golden Couple in school. The head cheerleader and the Quarterback had been dating since Middle School. It was almost impossible to separate them, however, I knew it was only a matter of time before another girl caught Zach's eye. I desperately hoped it wouldn't be soon. It would crush Helena if he left her.

I flipped open the cell phone and pressed the play button.

"Helena, are you getting this?"

The voice echoed out from the phone and was obviously Zach's. Helena was holding her phone so that it was showing the sunken pit that we used for sword training. Trees lined the small, clearing, my siblings sitting among on the edge of the pit as they gazed into it, watching a fight that seemed to be going on between Po and Anna. From what I could tell, Anna was winning.

"Of course I am," I heard Helena respond.

The camera zoomed in on a very triumphant looking Aaron as he emerged from the bushes, Haden's hysteric laughter in the background. Alex followed behind him, sporting a very recent looking bloody nose. Before anyone could say anything, however, a girl dashed by the screen, her face pulled into a mask of utter terror.

It was me.

Alex dived to the side as I sprinted past him and disappeared into the forest.

Rubbing his head indignantly, Alex asked, "What the hell was that?"

Suddenly a scream echoed through the forest. Birds squawked and left their nests in a flurry of fear.

The clearing was totally silent. I could hear Helena's breathing from behind the phone. I had the feeling she wanted to turn her cell off and stop filming but, for some reason, she just kept on filming.

The silence was broken by the loud _clang! _of metal on metal. Po's head emerged from the pit, watching everyone with mild interest before his gaze finally landed on Aaron. It would seem that he and Anna hadn't noticed me. Po sighed.

"C'mon, Aaron. I would've thought you had stopped picking on smaller boys to feel manly."

Aaron's face flushed with rage while Alex glared at Po in anger. "I am not small!" He snapped angrily.

No one bothered to pay Alex any attention as a very impressive vein was throbbing at the temple of Aaron's head. A scowl decorated his features, a glare solely directed at Po.

"Really, boys?" Everyone's heads snapped to side, the camera swivelling to face... me. But it wasn't me.

I was leaning against a tree, smirking up at Aaron and Po who did nothing but stare at me in astonishment. I was dressed in a bronze and leather chest plate, my arms baring dark, leather armguards. A plated, bronze skirt barely reached my mid thighs, the rest of my legs protected by tall leather boots.

My hair ran free of my usual ponytail and was hanging in waves down my back giving me an almost predatory look. I should say that the person in traditional battle armour was me but the way she moved, the way she ... glowed. It was as if she was someone else in my body.

I sauntered from my tree until I was standing directly at the pit, looking across it to smirk at Aaron. Slitted across my back, in criss-crossed sheaths, were two twin scimitars, the blades glinting dully in the shaded forest. I was holding an incredibly beautiful, ebony Recurve bow, the quiver of arrows loosely fitted at my belt.

I refused to believe that girl was me. I remembered clearly swearing never to be caught dead in a mini skirt yet there I was, in knee high boots to match. I couldn't remember even running through the forest let alone dressing quickly enough to walk into the clearing. Hell, I couldn't even remember myself doing that at all. It was as if that girl in the film wasn't me at all.

I had to admit though, Aaron was right.

I did look like Xena Warrior Princess.

Warrior me smirked at Aaron. "I would've thought that the God of War would be past his days of common quarrelling."

Aaron blinked. "What?"

I ignored him, jumping lithely down into the pit, my boots barely making any impact on the sand. I didn't even spare Po and Anna a glance as they warily scrambled up the side of the pit, discarding their swords in the grass.

"Really, Ares, you're meant to be the greatest warrior of all time yet you're arguing with Poseidon as if you had no chance of defeating him if you challenged him to combat."

Aaron blinked as did Po from the grass. "What?" They said in unison.

I, however, just continued. "In fact, I'm feeling that you may be losing your prowess. You're allowing yourself to slack off."

I grinned as Aaron's face boiled to an unnaturally red colour in rage. I had the feeling that warrior me had succeeded in exactly what she was aiming for.

Aaron stalked to the edge of the pit and jumped down, puffs of dust and sand exploding into clouds at his feet. "Do you really think that I cam losing my touch?" he seethed, "Do you really think that I'm not able to defeat you?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "It wasn't what I was implying but if you really want prove your skill by defeating me in a mock battle, go ahead. To begin one, all you need to do is say a few simple words."

Aaron straightened himself to his full height, reaching to his waist to unsheathe his sword. "I, Aaron, challenge you to a mock battle."

I grinned. "I, Artemis, accept your challenge."

Aaron's eyes crinkled in confusion. "Artemis?"

But I didn't seem to be listening. The hiss of steel echoed across the clearing as I drew one of my double blades, pointing it at Aaron. "What are your terms?"

Aaron grinned. "No bow or arrows."

I shrugged as if it didn't matter that the only weapon I had ever only been good at had been cancelled out of the battle. "No shields, as well." I retorted

Aaron barely hesitated. "Agreed."

I relaxed into a battle stance, watching with calculating eyes as Aaron copied my move.

He gave me a cocky smile. "May the battle begin."

The words had only left his mouth when a figure burst through the trees, wild eyed. His blonde hair was dishevelled, his cheeks red. Henri scanned the clearing quickly, his eyes immediately landing on me.

"Mia!" he yelled then, realising my current situation, yelled again, "What the hell is going on!"

But Aaron had already made the first move.

Yelling a mighty battle cry, Aaron charged forewords, heaving his large sword over his head. Barely taking notice of a panicking Henri, I grinned. I looked as if Aaron was the one who had been cornered and not me. Almost as if I was dancing, I ducked under his arms, swinging my sword so that it barely clipped the hilt but the force was enough. With a cry, Aaron's sword flew out of his hand, my own hand darting out quickly to catch it.

Before he could move, I brought his sword to the back of his neck, my own pointing dangerously at his neck, the tip barely nipping the skin.

The whole battle would've probably taken no more than a minute.

Aaron gulped loudly and, cockily, I dropped his sword to the ground, fluidly sheathing my own. Without looking back, I leaped over the wall of the pit and into the silent clearing. Henri was rooted to the spot, his mouth wide open as he stared at me in shock. He blinked, looking very much confused.

I stalked past him before turning and declaring, "Let it be known, Ares, that I have beaten the great God of War in combat," I smirked, successfully creating a blush of rage to colour Aaron's features, "Now, I grow weary of these games. If you need me, send Hermes to the forest. I shall be hunting."

And with that I stalked off leaving eleven very confused teenagers staring after me.

The screen went black.

The room was silent, each person waiting for my reaction. However, I suppose they were thoroughly disappointed because all I said was a very charming, "That wasn't me."

"Really?" Henri said dryly, "We didn't notice."

I sent him a withering look before turning to Zach "What did I do after that?"

Zach reached out to take the phone back before answering. "You did exactly what you said you would. You went hunting and didn't return home until a few hours later. We had thought that you would've been better by then but when you returned, you returned with an already skinned and gutted wild boar."

I gaped at him. "But I thought there weren't any wild boars left in California!"

"Well," Henri began, "there is now because there's one sitting with its head cut off on the kitchen counter which, by the way, I am _not _explaining to Uncle Carl."

Uncle Carl. The name shot tiny slivers of memories through me but as soon as I nearly caught them, they slipped away. All I was left with was the knowing fact that Uncle Carl did something. Something bad.

"You dumped the pig on the kitchen counter," Zach shrugged, "and then began to argue with Helena about how you couldn't find your huntresses. That was when we decided it was a good idea to knock you out."

I blinked. "You knocked me out?"

He shrugged. "It was necessary."

"You still knocked me out."

"It had to be done."

I frowned."I _cannot _believe you knocked me out!"

He sighed, shaking his head.

I turned my head to Phe who was sitting on the edge of her pink comforter. Beside her, laying on the pink throw cushions was the bow I had been holding in the video. Anxious to touch it, I stood fluidly, taking a few steps and reaching out.

I had just laid my hand on the recently oiled wood when Henri yelled out surged forwards from his position beside Alex, gripping my wrist just as my hand closed around the grip.

I raised my eyebrows, staring pointedly at Henri's hand on my wrist. "What are you doing, Henri?"

Slowly, he retreated his hand back, his lips forming silent words frantically. He shook his head, still watching the bow. "I must be going insane."

"What's wrong, Henri?" I demanded.

His gaze left the bow, travelling upwards until he reached my eyes. "You don't remember anything?"

I shook my head. The others were watching us curiously, Anna smirking as she took in the scene.

"You don't even remember Uncle Carl, the study, the bookshelf!"

It was like a rush of water. The memories were poured through my mind, dousing me in the fresh recollections. I gasped.

I could remember everything that had happened. I looked down at the bow in shock, dropping it quickly back onto the bed. I sure as hell did not want to go through that pain again.

When I faced Henri, a ghost of a smile was appearing on his lips. He looked as if he knew exactly what had just happened to me. I winked at him.

"Okay guys," I declared to room, "Henri and I have something to show you."

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><p><strong>Creepy music *dah dah DAH* What do you think? A bit strange? Not stange? Who do you think everyone is so far? I'll give you a clue - the Lewis siblings share the first letter of their name with their corresponding god! Except for one of them...<strong>

**I'll see you next time! :-D**


	8. Unprepared

**Okay, dudes. Sorry for the wait. I had originally planned something ENTIRELY different from the chapter I have now so I kinda just made it up as I went along. I hope you enjoy! :-D**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

To say that my siblings were surprised was an understatement. There was quite a bit of colourful swearing, which was mainly Aaron and Haden, a few shocked silences, which was Zach and Po, and, surprisingly enough, a dew disinterested stares from the rest. Anna however was just staring at the large Greek room as if she had known all along that it was down there and, knowing her, she probably had.

They had almost immediately become fascinated by the glass cabinets, completely ignoring the countless TV screens and steel catwalks. Once, Anna had voiced her wonderment of what was behind the reinforced steel doors but no one seemed to really care besides her.

It felt strange to be inside the room again. The first time I walked in, I could immediately tell that the objects held in the room were filled a with vast, ancient power but this time, I felt as if, instead of the power coming from the objects, the power was coming from me. As if I was the one that held vast, ancient power.

However, I preferred not to think of that.

A loud, piercing squeal resounded throughout the room. Wincing slightly, I glanced over to where the sound came from. Phe was staring at Aphrodite's glass case with a look of pure delight, clapping her hands together as she stared at the shimmering golden girdle before rushing over to it.

The others had also wandered over near the glass cabinets but, at the moment, they were staring in exasperation at Phe who quickly unlatched her cabinet and reached inside.

Dread filled me but before I could utter a single word, Phe's hand was clasped around the golden fabric, pulling it to her chest. I braced myself for the screaming that would soon tear its way through my skull, tensing my shoulders in attempt to protect myself from the noise.

Phe looked up at me with barely concealed excitement, "Can I try this on, Mia?"

I blinked. I had been expecting her to turn into another Warrior Princess or something like that but all she did was stare at me with those big puppy dog eyes.

Nobody else had seemed to notice my confusion except for Henri. I gave him a questioning look but all he did was shrug in answer.

Perhaps I was the only person who had to go through that kind of pain.

I shrugged at Phe. "I guess."

She let out another piercing squeal and rushed out of the room in a whirl of blonde and gold, leaving a trace of vanilla scented perfume in her wake.

Henri and I had decided that it would've been a good idea if we didn't tell anyone about what happened when I touched the bow unless absolutely necessary.

I glanced over to the others. A few of them had followed Phe's example and had picked up some of the items in the cabinets. Haden was studying _Hades' Helm of Darkness _while Helena was admiring _Hera's Polos. _Henri was eyeing _Hermes' Winged Sandals _with an almost pathetic kind of longing. I could tell he was afraid that whatever had happened to me would happen to me.

I gave a frustrated sigh. "Gods, Henri," I snapped, "If you want to try them on just do it."

He gave me an embarrassed look before reaching into the cabinet to gently take the sandals.

I frowned. While my siblings felt as if this Greek Room was a place full of wonder, I didn't want anything to do it.

Idly, I wandered over the one of the many screens positioned around the room, watching the colours on the screen but barely taking notice of the actual picture.

That's when someone screamed.

My blood ran cold. I pivoted to face the cabinets again, horror clawing its way to the surface.

Another scream suddenly sounded through-out the room, piercing my heart with a spear of despair. Each of my brothers and sisters were on the ground, curled into a small ball. Nearly every single one of them were either screaming or emitting small, childish whimpers as if they were trying to hold in the pain.

What really got through to me was that every single one of them were either holding or wearing an item from a cabinet. Zach was clutching the lightning bolt as if his life depended on it while Anna was holding the bronze shield with a Gorgon head carved into it as if she hoped it would protect her from some invisible foe.

"No," I whispered, "No!"

My gaze almost instantly found Henri. He was leaning against one of the pedestals while sitting on the ground, sweat dripping down his face. Every now and then he would let out a blood curdling yell, clawing desperately at the feebly fluttering winged sandals.

"Henri!" I screamed.

I darted to his side, dropping to the ground beside him. He barely acknowledged my touch as I pulled him closer to me, my hands idly smoothing away his hair from his face. A strange feeling was tearing through me. The mere fact the Henri was in pain was almost ripping me apart from the inside.

"Henri," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, "Listen to me. You have to fight it. Don't lose yourself like I did."

I'd like to think he heard me but all he did was let out an almost pitiful whimper in reply.

I didn't know how I had let this happen. I had thought that because Phe had touched the girdle and hadn't lost consciousness or submitted to extreme pain meant that everyone else could do it. I had obviously been wrong.

Then suddenly, the screams stopped.

"Henri?" I whispered, slowly lowering him to the ground before rising to my feet. "Henri, are you alright?"

His eyes were closed and only the steady rise of his chest told me he wasn't dead. Frankly, though, it was still creepy.

His eyes suddenly flew open and I gasped, taking a step back. Instead of the deep green eyes I was so used to seeing, his eyes were an almost blinding gold.

And then, just like that, his eyes were back to normal. He blinked warily, slowly raising himself so that he was leaning on his elbows.

"Henri?" I asked cautiously. His eyes snapped towards me, giving me a once over before rising from the ground fluidly. I was barely aware of my other siblings standing as well.

"What is the matter, Artemis?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, "Do you wish to send a message?"

I blinked. This was _not _good. "W-w-well," I stuttered, "Not really, um, Hermes. I just wished to speak with you."

He gave me a curious glance. "What is it that you wish to speak with me about?"

I blinked again. I hadn't really thought that far.

"For the last time, Hades! Those who die in the Sea belong to me!"

I snapped my head to the side. Po was holding a rather large, mossy trident at Haden's throat, a look of barely controllable rage decorating his features. Haden smirked.

"Do you really think it is wise, brother, to fight me? We both know every lost soul belongs to me, regardless of _where_ they die!"

A very flustered looking Deanna was frantically trying to push them away from each other but they barely seemed to notice her. Her gaze fell onto us, a beatific smile on her face.

"Hermes!" she called, "Help me before these two destroy each other!"

Hermes sent me an apologetic look. "I'm terribly sorry, Artemis, but I must see to something." He sighed before muttering a quick, "Aren't I lucky?"

I almost giggled. Hermes was surprisingly like Henri in more ways than one.

However, the similarities stopped there as Hermes gently rose a few feet into the air and fluttered towards the arguing brothers, muttering something about, "bloodthirsty demons."

It was only then that the weight of the entire situation crashed onto me. Every single one of my brothers and sisters had been, most likely, possessed by an Ancient Greek God and were now strutting around as if they had complete control over the world.

I surveyed the room carefully. A few wild guesses was that Haden was Hades and Po was Poseidon. It would've made sense except it still didn't explain who Deanna was.

She was hovering anxiously around Hades and Poseidon as Hermes gently tried to pry the trident out of Poseidon's hands. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Hermes resorted to smacking him on the face when he discovered that his hands were too strong. Shocked, Poseidon dropped the trident, which Hermes happily caught with his free hand and, along with the trident, disappeared into thin air before any sense could've been made from the situation.

Deanna, who had abruptly frozen, was now staring at the situation with a look that seemed similar to outright confusion. She briefly glanced down at her hand and for a split second, time seemed to freeze. The feeling lingered until when I glanced at Deanna, a burning torch glittered in her hand.

I struggled to remember which god was normally associated with a burning torch.

"Artemis!"

I gave the owner of the voice a fleeting look and I swear I my mouth opened in shock. Aaron was striding towards me, his jet black hair sticking up at all angles, his eyes staring at me with such an intensity I felt as if he could see right through me.

However, what really surprised me was the large sheathed broadsword carelessly strapped to the back of his grey T-shirt. Every move he made was fluid, almost predatory. The way he moved reminded me of how a lion looked when it pounced, beautiful and graceful yet deadly in every single way.

I had no idea which god Aaron was at the moment but I did know one thing. The boy in front of me was, sure as hell, _not _my brother.

In one, swift movement, Aaron drew his sword, closing the distance between us in one, single large step. I barely had any time to react before he swung his sword, angling for me. I dropped to the floor, ignoring the repeated needles of pain that seemed to be stabbing at my head. This situation seemed all too familiar to me even though I was sure Aaron had never actually _attacked _me before.

I rolled to the side as the sword clanged to the ground exactly where I had been laying a moment ago, wincing as the pain intensified. The lock in the back of my mind shook and rattled, adding to the already building pain pounding in my skull.

I fluttered my eyes closed as everything in the world around me faded to black, pain eradicating my every thought.

_The forest around me blurred together, my entire being focused on the lone figure in front of me. He was dressed in his usual battle armour, the bronze glowing in the dying rays of sunlight. He smirked, raising the sword so that it was aligned with my neck._

"_You seem almost scared, Artemis. Are you regretting the choice to train with me?"_

_I scoffed. "I feel no regret over the decision of pounding you into the dirt. However, I can only hope that your pride won't get in the way of my victory."_

_He scowled. "We shall see, won't we?"_

_I laughed, the notes ringing out as if they were a melody sung by the muses. I drew my blades, pulling myself into a battle stance and smirked._

"_May the best women win."_

_Our swords clanged together, the sound reverberating throughout the clearing. My mind was filled with one thought and one thought only._

_Defeat Ares._

I opened my eyes. I had no idea what had just went through my mind but a part of me felt as if it was a memory, as if I had once lived through that.

The sound of steel hissing through air alerted me to the fact that Aaron's sword was once again moving towards me. I wanted to roll out of the way again, to be able to reach safety but I found that I couldn't make my body do it. No matter how hard I tried or how hard I pushed, I couldn't force my body to do anything I wanted it to do.

Instead, it seemed to pull itself into a crouch, my hand darting out to grip Aaron's sword hand. I twisted it until the sword clattered safely to the ground a few feet away.

I felt like screaming in frustration but it seemed my body was moving on its own accord as it slowly straightened, a smirk crawling its way up my face.

"Really, Ares," I drawled, "I thought that after our last battle, you would've realised that your prowess in battle is now considerably lacking."

I wanted to freeze. I wanted nothing more than scream in rage but I couldn't.

I was a prisoner in my own body. All I could do was watch as Artemis temporarily took control.

Ares blinked, his sword appearing in his hands in brief flash of light before holding it, almost lazily, at his side. "We shall see, won't we?"

I drew my own blades just as he lunged. I twisted to the side, gliding around him before parrying the attack.

Then the dance really began.

We worked in whirl-wind of metal, our swords flying through the air as we danced. His moves were like a panther. Every move he made was made with a deadly accuracy and grace. However, his movements were too cocky. He flicked away my every attack casually as he steadily began to move closer. I danced to the side, ducking underneath his swinging sword before moving once again to attack his front with renewed ferocity. I attempted on him moves I had never seen before, combinations that were danced so fast that I couldn't make any sense of them. I, even, flipped over his head once, soaring through that air so I landed elegantly behind him.

As the battle wore on, we began to attract an audience. As I parried Ares attacks and attacked his unprotected flanks, I barely noticed that Zach and Helena were leaning against the wall, staring at our sparring match with interest.

I had no idea how long we fought, how long my mind was focused only one defeating him. I felt as if my mind could've gone on forever but my body didn't feel the same way. My hands were beginning to shake and my lunges and attacks held no force behind them. His attacks gradually got closer to my unprotected sides and skin. With one careless flick, Ares sword raced towards my neck. My swords would never meet his blade in time to protect my neck so I closed my eyes, awaiting the cool feel of metal gently biting my skin.

Inside my head, I was still screaming. I could feel Artemis' thoughts, her motives racing through _my _mind and I wanted nothing more than to wrestle her back behind that locked door in my mind. But she was to strong.

My eyes fluttered open in astonishment when the clanging of metal reached my ears. Another sword had met Ares', a sword held by a slender pale hand. My eyes followed the skin, past a dark green tank top, and up until my eyes met with a pair of stormy grey eyes. They winked.

"Athena," I breathed.

She twisted her sword, lifting it upwards until Ares was forced to take a step back. She grinned, pushing back a stray lock of wild, black hair with her spare hand. "Would you like any assistance Artemis?"

I shrugged, trying to conceal the smile that was slowly edging its way onto my face. "Only if you feel compelled to join me."

She laughed, the sound like tinkering bells. "It would be my pleasure to help you defeat the mighty God of War."

Ares growled. "This is incredibly unfair. Two against one aren't exactly what you might call fair odds."

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Afraid you won't be able defeat two mere women, Ares? I've never pinned you for a coward."

With a roar, Ares raised his sword and charged.

And so the dance began again.

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><p>I didn't know how long Athena and I duelled Ares.<p>

Whilst fighting, I was only just aware of Poseidon chasing Hermes frantically around the room, demanding him to give his trident back. However, that only caused Hermes to reply with a very irritating. "Actually, I've decided that I like this trident. I might just keep it for a while longer. However, I'm also hoping that keeping it away from you would teach you a lesson but, knowing you, it probably won't."

But before I could concentrate harder on their situation, Ares would attack me in my momentarily lapse of concentration, pulling me back into the battle.

I was more than a little surprised when I found Athena straddling Ares, a knife at his throat, and myself standing above his head, one of my swords pointed dangerously at his forehead.

For a brief moment, triumph rang through both Artemis and me. We, along with Athena, had defeated the mighty War God. But my victory was short-lived.

"Mia?"

My head snapped up. Standing at the door way of the Greek Room, dressed in his usually lab coat, was Uncle Carl.

Artemis froze and, for a brief moment, I had her under control. I quickly shoved her back into my mind, locking her away once again in the back recesses of my mind.

Then I dropped my sword.

Letting out a high pitched yelp, Ares pushed Athena off him and rolled quickly to the side, missing the point of my sword by inches. He looked up at me in rage.

"What were you thinking?" he yelled, "You could've killed me!"

My temper snapped. In the period of one day, I had transformed into Xena Warrior Princess, discovered that the only father figure in my life was keeping secrets and had my body taken over by an ancient God. I was _not _in the mood for this.

"Oh, for the god's sake, Ares," I snapped, "You're an immortal god. You know as well as I do that the sword wouldn't have even put a dent in you. Get _over_ it."

He blinked, his mouth opening slowly. I sure bet he didn't expect that reaction.

Before he or Athena could say anything, however, I stalked away from them, angling myself towards Uncle Carl.

Uncle Carl made a very wise move and took a step back from me as I approached. I was barely aware that I was still holding my swords.

"Artemis?" he whispered.

"No," I snapped, halting a few feet from him, "She just left. I'm sorry you missed her."

He winced. "What happened?"

I folded my arms. "You're the one who started this. Surely you must know."

"Look, let me explain-"

I cut him off. "No. You can explain later. Right now, I need to wait for my siblings to stop thinking their Greek Gods."

He took a step closer. "Let me help."

I eyed him warily, sheathing my swords before turning and stalking back towards my siblings. "You've done enough, already," I called over my shoulder.

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><p><strong>So... what do you think? Do you like where this is going? Thank you to all those who have been regular readers. I love you all and your comments make me all giggly inside. LOL<strong>

**Tune in next time kiddies :)**


	9. Explanations

**Sorry dudes for the wait! We had to actually write a picture story book for teenagers and, since I'm not very artistic, I spent then entire week trying to make stick figures look good. Anywhos, enjoy :-D**

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

In the end, it took my sibling a bit over an hour and a half to come back to their senses. Anna had been duelling Ares when she was brought out of her state and had let out an ear-splitting scream when she realised that a sword was racing towards her. In her fright, she had ducked underneath the sword and slapped Ares across the face, successfully shocking him from his state.

It was hilarious.

Even when all my siblings had recovered from their temporary loss of control, Aaron was still sulking, rubbing his cheek while his eyes were shooting a constant volley of daggers at Anna.

Anna just smirked the entire the time.

However, none of us spoke a word to Uncle Carl.

He was like a ghost in the background. A constant presence yet treated as if he was never there, as if he hadn't even been born.

I was perched carefully on the edge of an armchair by the fire in the living room. It was a cosy, small room, the type you could imagine yourself settling down to with its roaring fire and mismatched rugs. However, at that moment, I felt anything _but _at home.

It went against all my instincts not to leap to my feet and flee the room where the waves of tension were almost visible in the air.

Zach sat on an armchair besides me, his face pulled into a hard expression, his eyes staring Uncle Carl down as if trying to mentally tell him that if he tried to get away, he certainly wouldn't hesitate to kill him. The rest of the family, except for Henri and Po, were sitting themselves variously around the room, unknowingly crowding around Uncle Carl and barring his ways of escaping.

Anna was leaning against the mantle, her fingers idly twirling the bronze sword she had been using when fighting Aaron and me, her eyes boring into Uncle Carl as she did so. With every twirl of her sword, I swear Uncle Carl flinched.

Finally, Henri and Po entered the room, Henri drenched with water, his hair clinging to his water beaded face. Po followed behind him, clutching his trident with triumphant smirk.

The smirk was quickly wiped off his face, however, as he viewed the room, taking a seat at Zach's right hand while Henri grudgingly took a seat by the fire.

Alex was by my right, wedged in between an almost terrifying looking Haden and me.

Uncle Carl sighed, rubbing his head thoughtfully. "I guess you want answers."

"Answers?" Zach began, "We would certainly like something more than being told that were possessed by Greek Gods."

"You weren't possessed by the Gods," Uncle Carl stated, real surprise etched into his face, "You _are _the gods."

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

I remembered the screen I saw in the Greek Room, the way we acted when we touched those objects. We acted as if we were above everyone else, incredibly powerful and undefeatable. We acted as if we were gods.

Was it really a stretch to say that we were actual gods?

I didn't need any time to think about it. Yes. It was a complete and almost stupid stretch to say that we were the actual Greek Gods. Uncle Carl was just a delusional scientist that just happened to adopt twelve children that resembled the Greek Gods. There was nothing more to it.

Zach stood suddenly, his face alight with anger. For a moment, brief and blinding pain filled my body, my mind taken over by a completely different image then the one I saw in front of me.

_His face was like fire, the hard planes of his face pulled into a scowl. I glanced at him warily from my throne besides Apollo. Very few instances had shown Zeus even remotely far from being cool and collected when in the Great Hall._

_His eyes flashed from a cool, cobalt blue into a glimmering gold in an instant, harshly taking a step towards the mortal man a few feet before him._

_Hestia was tending to the hearth in the centre of the Great Hall, her face watching the flames with great interest as if she had still taken no notice of the argument in the very room._

_I stifled a soft smile. Hestia had always had an odd sense of humour._

_My attention turned to the man as he spoke, his voice hesitant and wary, "Lord Zeus, I'm afraid that your sources are correct. The Ti-"_

"_Silence!" Zeus roared. The man snapped his jaw shut with an audible thunk, taking a fearful step back._

_Hades and Poseidon were watching this extravagant show of entertainment with a look of barely contained fear in their eyes. A sudden sense of dread filled my soul._

_A few moons ago, it had been heard that Zeus had heard words of a hidden force rising against the gods but that had been the last I had heard of it. Obviously, however, the matter was far more important that I had originally thought. The mere thought of Hades and Poseidon actually being scared of something was like ice to a fire. I felt myself curling inside, fear gnawing at my heart._

"_Do not dare think that they have returned," Zeus hissed, "Their reign of terror ended the day I cut their leader into pieces."_

_Fearfully, the man nodded, rushing out before Zeus could've been given the chance to take his anger out on him._

I blinked warily, the pain disappearing almost immediately. I rubbed my forehead and felt glistening beads of sweat beading my brow. What had just happened?

It seemed Zach hadn't moved since before my sudden flash of images. He was still standing, glaring at Uncle Carl as if hoping that the mere sight of him would send him into a downwards spiral.

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Zach demanded.

Uncle Carl shrugged. "Truthfully, if I were you, I would be a bit disbelieving as well."

Zach opened his mouth to speak again, a look of barely controlled rage on it but Uncle Carl cut him off.

"As you all know, I adopted you when I was attending college in Greece. I had just met your Aunty May. However, the story you know is that I found you in an Orphanage and that I just couldn't bear to leave you. That isn't what happened."

He sighed. "I found you twelve in an alley way with three old ladies, Fiona, Faith and Fey. Each of you was carrying a single, quite strange, item. A lightning bolt, a Greek shield, a hammer etcetera. After that, I'm not sure what happened, actually. One moment I was in an alley with three unusual old ladies and twelves kids and the next I had the adoption papers in my hands and the ladies had disappeared. When we returned home, I threw the strange items into the cellar and never thought of them or the three ladies again. May used her wealth to move us to the United States, buying us the house and setting aside enough money in a back account for each of your educations. I never thought it was strange, not at all.

"I had known that you were unusual children. You were always slightly stronger, slightly faster than the other children but I merely thought it was because of the fact that you lived on a farm which was used to hard labour. I remember thinking that I knew every detail about my children and that it was because of how your Aunty May and I raised you that you were so special. I had never been more ignorant then I was then.

"The day I truly recognized your abilities was the day your Aunty May passed away," his eyes grew distant, "She drowned in the lake on the other side of the hills. Po, however, was there with her."

Po's eyes narrowed in surprise while I scanned my memory. I swore that Po had been playing with Zach and Haden when Aunty May drowned. He had been nowhere near the lake.

Uncle Carl continued, his eyes moving to lie on Po, "You were devastated when she didn't resurface and you decided that you would be the one to save her. You walked into the lake, swam to the deepest point and dove under the water. You didn't resurface."

"I thought that you had drowned along with Aunty May so I phoned the police. Half an hour later, a few minutes before they arrived, you resurfaced, Po. You were bawling of how Aunty May refused to swim with you and were soaking wet, yet your breathing was fine and I could find no visible injuries on you. When I took you to the doctors the next day, they said that you were in perfect, physical, health. You were six years old."

"After that incident, the signs became more obvious. When Mia herself was six, I saw her shoot a bullseye from two hundred meters away. At first I thought it was a fluke so I asked her to perform it a second and third time. Both times, she split her previous arrows."

"I watched Anna perform Senior Year Algebra in Grade three and saw Henri race five miles in ten minutes when he was nine years old. As usual, at first, I merely thought it all a coincidence. That all of my children held a trait similar to the Greek Gods I was studying was just another coincidence. But then I remembered the old ladies that were there in the alley. I decided to solve the puzzles that were my children."

"I looked through old footage of you, tried to find the origins of the strange items I first saw you with and studied the monsters that Haden said lived under his bed. He said that large, black hounds with glowing red eyes constantly watched him in his sleep and I connected those creatures to the hell hounds in Greek mythology. However, I didn't truly figure it out until Helena came home saying that her being made head cheerleader should make her Queen of the Gods. That's what struck the cord for me. I matched you to which Greek Gods you were most similar with, giving you puzzles and tests to see if I was correct. I called in all my favours, took all the donations I could muster and used Aunty May's wealth until I had extended the basement into a room large enough for me to conduct my tests and experiments. However, I refrained from giving you your rightful items. I was afraid that something would've happened if you had seen them or even, gods forbid, came in contacts with them. I was right. You have just proven to me that, after years of wondering, I was right."

He stopped, staring down at his clasped hands.

The room was amazingly quiet.

Zach, along with Haden and Po, were still staring at Uncle Carl with hard looks of distrust while the rest of us mainly stared at him in confusion and amazement. Except Anna.

She glanced at Uncle Carl curiously, her hands thoughtfully playing with the hilt of her sword. "I guess that answer is logical," she began, "but you're making some awful big leaps that wouldn't make sense without proof."

He shrugged. "I have plenty of proof."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Besides the fact that Mia can shoot long distance arrows and Henri can simply run faster than others our age? Do tell us of this _proof _then?"

"I can't."

Zach nodded, the distrust growing in his eyes by every second. Anna, however, just cocked her head to one side. "Why not?"

"Because I have to show you."

* * *

><p>Uncle Carl led us back to the Greek Room. However, instead of guiding us back to the glass cabinets, he took us to an iron spiral staircase hidden in the far corner. We climbed up the numerous amounts of stairs until we came to one of the many steel catwalks criss-crossing the ceiling. I had never really liked heights and it was almost surprising to see how far from the ground we were. I regretfully have to say that I clung tightly on to Alex as we wound our way through the catwalks until we came to a large, steel door. A heavy latch secured the door in position.<p>

Grimly, Uncle Carl flipped the latch and opened the door, striding into the liquid darkness with us following behind.

What hit me first was the smell. A thick, rancid odour, like rotting flesh or eggs left out for too long. The room, unlike the stark whiteness of the Greek Room, had damp stone walls, moss and water droplets clinging to the surface while we threaded our way into another stone hallway. That wasn't the only thing however.

Lining the hallway, were dank, chilling jail cells, the metal rusting yet slimy as they were coated in a thick, faintly green substance.

Instinct wared with my fear. Slowly, I dislodged myself from Alex as we slowly continued through the hallway, gripping the hilts of my swords tightly. Alex, giving me one glance, copied my movement, holding his broadsword tensely at his side.

Small beads of sweat were gathering at my forehead when I heard it. A ghastly wail resounded off the walls and filled the small space with its haunting voice. I had never heard a voice so filled with sorrow nether a voice so beautiful.

"Don't listen to it," Uncle Carl stated.

I blinked. He stopped suddenly, in front of one of the many cells lining the walls. The haunting melody that seemed to be woven into the wailing stopped abruptly and a woman stepped from the shadows.

Her face was shrouded with shadow yet I could tell she was beautiful. Her long, shimmering black hair fell to her bare waist, her dark eyes darting everywhere. Torn red silk covered her chest and waist, leaving her stomach and impossibly long, toned legs bare.

She cocked her head to the side in an almost predatory, unhuman way.

"Zeuuuuuus," she hissed, dragging the word out. Her voice was melodious and haunting all at once but that it where the beauty stopped. In an instant she changed.

Her angular face and long, luscious hair stayed the same but long leathery wings erupted from her back, her nails growing until they were almost as long as her body, filthy and rotten. She hissed and leapt at the bars, yanking at them as she let out an ear-piercing scream before screeching foul threats.

A loud gasp echoed through the hall but all Uncle Carl did was stare at the creature in vivid disinterest.

"What is that thing?" Helena asked, horrified.

However, instead of Uncle Carl, it was Anna who answered her. "It's a Siren," she whispered, "deadly seductresses of the Sea. They are said to lure sailors to their deaths by singing such beautiful melodies, no one can resist them. Their only legends, though. Or their meant to be."

Uncle Carl turned on his heel and once again set off through what I then knew was a prison. He called over his shoulder, "I found this beast in the forest when I was taking Aaron for a walk once. Aaron was perhaps six or seven years old and when we came upon the beast and he immediately erupted into tears. It attacked us, claws and all, yet I could barely hold it off. In the end, amazingly, it was Aaron who defeated the monsters. When trying to defend himself, he had thrown a rock at its temple with such force, it was knocked out. That was when I locked it in here."

"How come none of us can remember these things?" Aaron muttered.

Without turning, Uncle Carl shrugged, leading us outside and back onto the catwalks. "I believe your sub-conscious mind buried the memories in fear that you might've not been able to handle them," I was barely aware that we were descending the spiral staircase, Uncle Carl still in the lead, "However, I fear that it might have been right. You still might not be able to handle the sudden realisation of what you truly are. I have no idea what side effects may take place or whether your mortal bodies will be too weak to handle the powers of the gods and simply die. I just don't know. It's not as if I can study those who have previously had your problems. Your cases are completely and utterly unique."

"So, what?" Haden snapped, "Are you just saying we should call in sick for school and stay home so you could study our symptoms like good little lab rats."

"That is precisely what I'm implying, however, perhaps without that part about the lab rats. You need to learn to control whatever may happen to you and if you'll be able to control your powers."

"Powers?" I asked. It was the first time I had spoken.

"Well," Uncle Carl began, slightly amused as he led through his study and back into the living room, "You _are _gods. Surely gods must have certain powers."

"So you don't actually know if we have any powers?"

"Of course not. Like I said, I can't really study any previous cases," he turned, his eyes zoning in on me as he gave me a scarily intense stare, "You are completely and utterly unique."

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><p><strong>What do you think of the new direction the story is turning to? Do you like it or do you want me to change the direction? Please tell me what you think and constructive criticism is welcomed!<strong>

**R&R peoples and you have a happy writer! Thanks for reading! ;)**


	10. The Training Grounds

**Okay guys, I've read all your comments and I am really happy that your liking this little piece of work! I thank you all for reading!**

**While this chapter wasn't my best (forced writing during writer block) I hope you enjoy! :-D**

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

For the first few days home, everyone was quite calm. In some ways.

While there were arguments and personal space issues, we generally just watched TV. The most interesting thing we watched was probably how two mountains had appeared in Greece overnight but, besides that, we had quite an uneventful few days.

Po soon began taking trips to the lake and wouldn't return for hours at a time, coming back a few minutes before the darkness settled in. However, when Po came home, Haden left, usually muttering something about trying to find hell hounds. It was around then that I would try and pretend I hadn't heard him. Harry, however, didn't wait for the others to return home. He would rise early, disappear into the forest and wouldn't be seen until very late at night or very early in the morning. These three seemed to get along with each other the best, very rarely fighting with each other.

Aaron, Anna and Po, however, fought on a daily basis.

The fights were often loud and often ended in either Anna or Aaron getting thrown in the lake or Anna pushing the boys off the roof. Some of their arguments were a tiny bit quieter though you could often tell when one had happened if you saw Anna preparing dinner with a sword. There never a more dangerous time to enter the kitchen then when Anna was in there preparing sushi with a samurai sword.

But besides that, and a few instances where Zach's lightning bolt refused to leave his hand, we were, overall, a pretty calm family.

And then Henri and Alex got bored.

The last time Alex and Henri had gotten bored, the entire family took an unplanned swim when visiting the aquarium. In the shark tank.

But this time, oh _this_ time, they were a lot more creative.

At first it was silly things like annoying Aaron and Anna, switching Phe's shampoo with an oil concoction or stealing petty objects. It was enough, however, to make us grow wary. We tried to avoid Henri and Alex as much as possible, even going as far as taking our weapons with us everywhere.

But soon, the petty stealing and irritating arguments grew until the arguments would last for hours and would end in violence or tricking Haden into a freshly dug hole in the forest. I once walked in on Alex spraying whipped cream onto Aaron's hand while Henri was tickling his face. However, in Henri's other hand was a long string of fresh, raw fish, dangled low over Aaron's head. I had enough sense to get out of there before Aaron woke up and, most likely, exploded.

They put super glue on the door handles, placed wild animals in the closets, hid and set every single alarm clock we owned to go off at the same time and even, somehow, moved Helena's and Deanna's beds onto the roof with their bras hanging from the knobs.

Even Anna had lost her cool when Henri and Alex were provoking her at the mouth of the stairs. In fact, she got so upset that she pushed them both down the stairs. Henri was able to save himself by wearing his winged sandals which let him never touch the floor in the end. Alex wasn't as lucky.

All in all, we didn't discover anything new about our powers nor have any memories come back to us. Alex and Henri kept us incredibly occupied; however, I did notice that, not once, did they prank me.

For the first few days.

Because of the privacy issues, we had to set up timetables for showering and bathing due to Aaron _accidentally _walking in on Phe when she was showering once or twice. When Phe had asked me to swap times with her, I complied only to help her out. I didn't fancy Aaron walking in on me any time soon.

Early the next morning, I took a towel and fresh change of clothes into the bathroom and stripped away my pyjamas. The room was made up entirely of glass and glossy black tiles, the shower made of glazed glass. Twisting the knob beside the shower door, I quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind me. That was when I noticed that the water wasn't running.

I glanced at the shower head cautiously, taking a tentative step forward. I reached out, wrapping my hands around the head.

Then the water spurted out.

I shrieked, leaping out of the shower as the water jetted down onto the tiles, tinted an ugly green. A foul odour emitted from the liquid as it swirled and eddied back into the drain.

Rage bubbled through me. Only two people would be able to do this.

Snatching my towel from the counter and wrapping it securely around myself, I stormed out of the room.

"Boys!" I screeched.

Alex and Henri were by the wall opposite me, their faces open in shock. They looked like they very much wanted to turn and run but they stood still, taking in the scene with horrified faces. "B-b-but, this _Phe's_ shower time," Alex stuttered.

"We switched," I seethed.

Henri closed his mouth slowly, stretching it into a smirk. "I can see that."

I glared at him. "You doused me in _something!" _

Alex, being the smart one, took a wary step away from me. However, Henri merely folded his arms. "Though I'm feeling _slightly _guilty, what are you going to do about it? You're in a towel."

The red haze of rage that I now associated with Artemis covered my vision. I didn't know what came over me but I wanted nothing more than to hurt Henri.

In a few quick strides, I crossed the distance between us and grabbed his shoulders, kneeing him in the crotch. "That's what I'm going to do about it." I hissed as he doubled over in pain.

The rage haze still blinded me yet I turned around, satisfied. A part of me knew that I was overreacting but I felt as if Henri had betrayed me. No, I felt as if Hermes betrayed me.

Before I could walk away, however, a hand fell on my shoulder, spinning me until I was slammed to the wall. My hands crushed between the wall and my back, Henri leaned against me heavily, restraining me. His vibrant green irises bored into my own, his face suddenly serious. My heart suddenly stopped as I stared him in the eyes, my world slowly fading away.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

My attention snapped away from his eyes, my face instantly hardening into a mask. I had let my guard down. I wouldn't do it again. "Well," I drawled, "It's kind of hard to take your apology seriously since I'm half naked."

Henri blushed furiously and dropped my hands to my sides, taking a step back.

I smirked. "I thought so."

Hoisting my towel back up to an appropriate height, I stalked past him and a very shocked looking Alex. "Oh," I called over my shoulder, "by the way, I accept your apology."

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><p>I found it almost cute, actually.<p>

The way he blushed just made me want to giggle, though I could count how many times I had ever giggled on one hand. A few years ago, in our first year of middle school, Henri revealed that he had a crush on me. I did find it cute so I decided to let him down gently. He dealt with it well but I found that he always kept a soft spot for me. Either way, I found it adorable.

Just not adorable enough to give up my no dating status.

I threw on some clothes, hanging up my towel before rushing down the stairs. Henri and Alex were leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, their faces pulled into winces. Zach, face pulled into a mask of exasperation, was speaking to them in hushed whispers.

I stifled a smirk.

I could tell there and then that Zach was finally telling them off and, by the look of the scene before me, his words were strict and final. Henri's eyes met mine and he flinched. Zach slowly turned his head, leaning comfortably against the wall beside the boys when he saw me. "Archer, it's nice of you to join us."

I hissed at the unwelcome nickname. "Don't call me that."

He shrugged. "Fine. I've called a meeting in the living room and I was just telling these two boys," he gestured to Henri and Alex as they visibly flinched, "to stop their little pranks. Isn't that right boys?"

They nodded mutely, causing Zach to grin. "Good."

Grinning lightly, I followed Zach and the boys down the hallway, taking a sharp left into the living room. I took the seat closest to the fire, perching myself, once again, on the edge just in case.

"Alright," Zach said, seating himself once again between Haden and Po, "We've taken the week off to train and to study the symptoms of our unique cases but instead of doing that, we've been watching TV and throwing fish at each other," he gave a pointed glare at Henri and Alex who high fived each other, "We need to get a grip on ourselves and start actually _working _towards a goal. The reason I've gathered you here today is that, before we start working, we need to work out an _actual _goal. Any ideas?"

Henri raised his hand, smiling profoundly but quickly lowered it when Zach shot him a _Give me a break _look.

A sudden idea occurred to me. I glanced up at the room. "Has anyone in this room had a moment since the discovery where your mind is taken over by a different image then the one in front of you? Almost like a memory?"

For a few moments there was nothing but silence. A few of my siblings gave me confused and worried stares as if they were worried about my mental health. But, then again, this was coming from the kids who just discovered they were Greek Gods.

Phe looked up uncomfortably. "I think I know what you're talking about."

My head pivoted to face Phe. "Really?"

She nodded. "Every time I see Aaron, I keep having these," she blushed as she paused, "_intense _images placed in my head."

Aaron grinned from his seat beside her. "Oh, really? What's in these images of yours?"

"Shut up, Aaron."

I raised my eyebrows. I had the sudden feeling that we had gotten off topic.

I flipped my head towards the sound of Anna's voice, the room suddenly quieting. "I don't think these images are random. If I'm correct, I presume we've all had these," she paused, searching for the right word, "_flares _ever since we've found the Greek Room. I think their just memories from our past life," he voice sunk to a whisper, "The life of the Gods."

Flashes of all the strange flares I had rose in my mind. It made sense to say that they were memories but it almost pained me to think that they were _my _memories. I, Amelia Lewis, average teenage girl, had duelled the God of War, Ares, and experienced a council session of the Gods where Zeus was actually present. _I_ had done that, not Artemis or some mythological creature. I had done that.

And it was terrifying.

"But has anyone," Zach said, interrupting my thoughts, "actually explored these flares? Has anyone tried to learn anything about them at all?"

"No." Deanna said quietly.

Zach nodded, triumphant. "Exactly. We need to train and to explore are powers which is the reason we're home at the moment. We're _not _here to watch TV and search through the girl's underwear drawers." He gave Henri and Alex another pointed look.

"But I have been training," Po interrupted, "I've been training every single day!"

"You've been swimming. That's not training."

"But I'm Poseid-"

"Yes, we know you're Poseidon which means that, to you, swimming is barely strengthening your muscles," Zach sighed, casting his eyes across the room, "I mean some actual hard core training."

Once again, the room was full with silence, the awkward waves in the air almost visible. Suddenly, Harry raised his hand hesitantly.

Zach raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Harry?"

Pushing up the bridge of his glasses, Harry replied, "I've been training."

Helena scoffed. "Oh yeah," she sneered, "and I'm Tinker bell."

Harry frowned, "I have!"

"Calm down," Zach snapped, cutting off Helena before she even had a chance to retort, "Harry, why don't you explain how you've been training?"

Harry shrugged. "I'd rather show you."

* * *

><p>Harry led us, amazingly enough, into the forest. He winded through the trees with us hurrying to catch up, following some unseen path. As we wound deeper into the forest, the world around us began to darken, the ground turning damp and moist while shadows hid at every corner, hiding invisible treasures in their murky depths.<p>

I shivered involuntarily. I felt as if eyes were watching me through the leaves and shadows we passed, eyes that watched us on a daily basis, which knew our every habit and move. I wanted nothing more than to reach wherever Harry was leading us before I lost my mind.

There was just something extremely unfamiliar and hostile about the usually friendly forest I had grown up with, something almost otherworldly.

In an instant, Henri was by my side, a cocky grin plastered on his face. "Are you alright? You seem like you're in need of a rescuer!"

I raised my eyebrows. "From what exactly?"

He plastered on a horrified mask, staring at me in mock amazement. "Why, my dear," he said dramatically, gesturing to the forest, "This forest is the resting place of a terrible beast. I was afraid that you were scared."

I scoffed. "In your dreams."

He nodded gravely. "In my dreams, Aaron is the terrible beast as well."

"What did you say, lover boy!" Aaron yelled, pivoting to face us.

Henri smiled charmingly. "Just saying how you would be able to save us all from a terrible beast, Aaron!"

Aaron blinked and, after finding that he couldn't really complain about, turned and resumed walking.

I nodded appreciatively. "Nice save."

He shrugged, winking playfully. "You haven't seen anything yet."."

The next few moments were spent in companionable silence. Every now and then, he would glance my way when he thought I wasn't looking, smirking slightly as I was some infinitely amusing creature.

I barely noticed when the forest began to light up, small oil lanterns hanging from branches of the trees on either side of us, lighting our way. The lanterns cast an eerie glow over the dark forest, illuminating and bathing our pathway in glowing, orange light and casting only more shadows. In the distance, I could see an opening of light, signalling what I hoped was the end of our journey.

"Alright!" Harry called over his shoulder, "We're reaching the training grounds."

"What exactly _are _the training grounds?" Phe called from besides Helena and Deanna.

Harry threw a ghost of a smile over his shoulder. "You'll see."

A loud gasp echoed across the forest as we came upon two trees. They were large, powerful oak trees, their roots obviously stretching farther than any other. They should've grown tall and strong towards the sky but, instead, they grew at a slant, their branches entwined with each other in a series of intricate knots, creating a natural arch. Other massive oaks lined the Arch's sides, gathered so closely together that they created an almost impenetrable barrier between us and whatever lay on the opposite side of the arch.

All Harry did was smirk as we took a few more timid steps, crossing the through the arch and into the clearing beyond.

I almost immediately froze.

The clearing was easily a football field large but the oaks that surrounded it were so large and ancient that their leaves and branches shielded us from prying eyes, dappled sunlight occasionally streaming in through the leaves to cause an array of orange, yellow and brown.

However, that was not what was so incredible.

Filling the entire clearing were various courses set up for training. I could see an archery range and a sunken fighting pit as well as a long strip of ground that seemed to randomly sprout flames. High above us, in the canopy of trees, were what looked like bamboo ladders laying on their sides to create gap filled bridges as well as a single tree that seemed to have been stripped of branches and replaced with rock climbing stones. A small triangular piece of metal hung from a rope at the top of the rock climbing wall and stretched across the clearing to attach itself to another tree, a sand pit at its base.

Weights lay in the back of the clearing as well as various weapons and Greek Armour. Any weapon imaginable lied, pristine and perfect, in oiled wooden racks. There were swords, machetes, daggers, staffs, bows and dark leather sacks of arrows hanging from low branches. I could also make out various gauntlets, chest plates, leather bracers and leather vests as well as sheaths, holsters and sturdy looking leather belts.

Scattered across the clearing were various more training courses, each seeming shiny and brand new as if they had just been magically summoned for us and for us only.

I gazed at the clearing in awe. "How did you make this?" I asked, fascinated by the weapons in the back of the clearing.

Harry shrugged. "According to legend, I once was weapons forger for the Gods. You would think that if I could do that, it would be no trouble to make a few obstacles out of wood or bronze."

Zach shook his head, a grin slowly spreading over his face. "Now this," he began, "is what I call training."

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><p><strong>So, what do you think? If you write in a review who you want to appear in the story, I might put them in since I'm looking for possible characters in future chapters!<strong>

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	11. Heights

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

Uncle Carl didn't seem to like the Training Grounds.

I could tell he was, at first, practically bursting with pride that his own son had built the entire clearing but, as soon as he saw Phe performing gymnastics on a beam ten feet up, he seemed to show an intense disliking for the clearing. However, while he mainly avoided it like a disease, my siblings and I couldn't seem to get away from it. In that clearing, I saw things that bordered on the edge of unhuman.

I watched Zach throw a lightning bolt with such precision only to have it appear in his hand as soon as it hit its target. I saw Haden crack the earth, a large crevice appearing with unimaginable heat radiating from it only to have Haden make it disappear with a wave of his hand.

The effects that the training had on us were instantaneous. In almost no time, I could split previous arrows from hanging, upside down, in a tree, my body constantly swaying from side to side. Henri was able to steal Phoebe's jewellery without her even realising that he was anywhere near her while Harry could conjure a glittering ball of fire into his palm.

None of us knew exactly how we did it. We just did.

We mastered these amazing feats with ease as if they had already been mastered by us which, to all extents and purposes, were true.

We began to start a schedule. We would train at the Clearing until noon unless someone was unable then, from noon to dinner, we would either spar or play what you might call mock battle games. After a few _minor _accidents, Uncle Carl decided to keep us in another week. He said our powers were still unstable, still a liability. I couldn't really find the strength to disagree with him.

However, everyone had their fears. Henri and Po refused to even attempt the flame stones, where you had to walk among the stones while avoiding the random bursts of flames. Phe and Harry shuddered when even thinking of water while Anna refused fight Aaron when he was armed with a spear. I myself didn't dare to even think of attempting the horizontal ladder or the high ropes course. I'm not very sure why it didn't appeal to me but every time I saw it, my life seemed to be on hold. As if there was nothing between me and that ladder besides certain death.

But then again, I just might be a pessimist.

That is, until Henri voiced a proposition.

"I don't understand why you're afraid of heights."

"I don't know why you're afraid of fire but I'm not bothering you about it, am I?" I snapped back, lowering my huntress bow and glaring at him.

He frowned. "That's beside the point. The point is that you should face your equally unusual and unnatural fear of heights."

Slinging the bow across my shoulder, I raised my eyebrows. "And what makes you think I want to face my fear?"

He grinned. "You want to face your fear because, if you do, you can help me get over my fear of fire."

I cocked my head to one side, my mind processing his words. It was a good deal but I never made a deal unless it was utterly in my favour. "If I overcome my fear," I began slowly, "I get to help you overcome your fear _and _I get your Swiss army knife."

"Fine," he snapped, "But we _share _the knife."

I raised my eyebrows, a teasing smile dancing on my lips, "Depends on your definition of _share."_

He scowled. "You're really difficult to deal with, you know that?"

"But you love me for it, right?" I said innocently.

Henri didn't answer. He just gave a strange look, turned on his heel and stalked towards the horizontal ladder.

My grin faltered slightly before following Henri, unlacing my bracers and dropping them into their designated bag along the way. I watched as Henri stood at the base of the tree before rising a few feet in the air and disappearing into the canopy, his face smirking the entire way.

"Show-off," I muttered.

I studied the tree intensely. The tree was easily twenty ft tall, the lowest branch just above my head. Each of the branches seemed sturdy and, despite the height, I could tell it was a fairly young tree. Harry probably had help from Deanna when growing the trees.

I took a deep breath. I was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Moon and Forests. Climbing a tree should barely take my breath away.

Bending slightly, I leaped lithely onto the lowest branch, reaching my hands up and swinging onto the next. The bark scraped against my skin as I swung and leaped from one branch to another, turning my hands red and sore. I found I didn't care, though.

Until I looked down.

I was easily higher than ten ft and the ground seemed dangerously far away. I clutched the trunk heavily for support before making the final step onto the wooden platform. Henri was already there, leaning against the tree as if it was perfectly normal. But then again, knowing Henri, for him hanging out in a tree must have been a perfectly normal experience.

I clambered onto the wooden platform, moving my hands so that I was gripping a branch instead of the trunk. My grip was so tight that I was beginning to notice my knuckles were turning a shade of white. Henri looked at my hands in exasperation. "That," he said, pointing at my hands, "is not going to help you face your fear."

"Well, it's helping me maintain my sanity." I snapped.

He shrugged. "Whatever."

He took a step closer to the ladder, treading carefully onto the first rung before perching there, perfecting balanced. He eyed me mischievously. "Are you coming?"

I eyed the rung warily. "Should I?"

Growling impatiently, Henri leapt from his perch and onto the next rung. He sprinted across the ladder, flying over empty air like a bird. He landed safely on the opposite side with a soft _thump! _turning to face me with a triumphant smile. It sickened me.

"Take one step onto the ladder and just make your way steadily across. It's easier the faster you go," he called, his smile genuine, "Don't worry about falling because, while I'm watching you, you won't."

"I feel entirely safe now," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice like honey.

He frowned. "You know," he pouted, "I should just stop being nice to you if this is the treatment I'm going to get. Now get on the ladder."

Giving him the best glare I could muster, I unwound my hand from the tree and stepped onto the first rung.

Almost instantly, the world around me began to twirl. A rational part of my mind told me not to look down but I ignored it, glancing down anyway. I gasped.

Though I knew I wasn't that high, I felt as if I was on the tallest of cliffs. Aaron, who usually towered over me, was now about ten ft below. He almost reminded me of an ant.

Henri's voice woke me from my trance. He was yelling encouragement to me, his body leaning towards me as if to sprint forward and catch me if I did actually fall. Slightly reassured, I took another step, then another. I had no trouble balancing. I never had nor will I ever. I had once thought it as another one of my strange talents but I knew better now. A God was meant to be perfect, not meant to fall when balancing on a beam.

"Mia?"

I froze. The voice was nothing like Henri's. In fact, it sounded suspiciously like...

I glanced down. Alex was staring up at me with a look of barely contained horror. "Mia!" he shouted.

I blinked, my concentration lost. Once again, my world began to spin around me. I tried to take another step but my foot missed the rung. I fell through the gap.

All breath left me. I didn't scream. My fear of heights blinded me.

I clawed uselessly at the air, hoping that I might just be able to catch onto a rung. I was aware of Alex yelling my name as I fell, his words offering no consolation. Suddenly, I felt warm hands encompass mine. Strain pulled at my arms at the sudden jolt.

I looked up, my eyes gazing wide eyed at my saviour. Henri, hanging from a rung by his legs, was holding onto my hand. I could the see the strain in his arm as he gritted his teeth.

I clutched onto him with both hands, the panic evident in my eyes. I knew that the fall most probably wouldn't kill me but I still didn't fancy falling ten ft to the ground.

"Mia," Henri breathed, "I need you to let go of my hand."

I blinked, his words taking their time to actually penetrate the fog covering my brain. Then I actually realised what he had just said. "What!" I screeched.

Henri winced and I dropped a few centimetres, my hand slipping.

With his eyes closed, he hissed, "Trust me enough that I'll save you when you fall this time. I just can't save you in this position."

I studied his face intently. His skin was now flushing an almost unnatural red, veins tracing through the skin on his arm. His hair was plastered to his face and had an almost unhealthy tinge to it.

I sighed. He so owed me.

I let my hand go limp, allowing it to slip through Henri's fingers. I snapped my eyes shut, squeezing them tightly. Fear washed over me like water, dulling my senses as the wind rushed around me. However, piercing through the pain was an odd feeling of serenity.

Before I could investigate the feeling more, however, strong hands caught me, all air in my body leaving instantly.

I expected to keep falling, to crash into the dirt and feel every bone in my body shatter but I stayed in place, cradled in someone's arms. A slight fluttering sound announced that I was somewhere near wings and the way I was sluggishly rising up and then down almost proved my current theory.

I opened my eyes warily, blinking against the intense light. A face loomed in front of me, a face that was filled with concern and worry. "Mia?" the voice asked, "Did you faint?"

I frowned as my vision became clear enough to tell who the face was. "No, Henri," I replied dryly, "Amazingly enough, I didn't faint."

He stretched his mouth into a grin, his eyes dancing. "You know, sarcasm is only used to hide true feelings."

"What can I say," I shrugged as Henri slowly flew us higher, "I use my sharp wit to hide my inner pain."

His feet landed softly on the wooden platform and I nearly kissed the floor in happiness except for the fact that I was still in Henri's arms. I smiled charmingly at him. "Henri," I said sweetly, "You can put me down now."

Smirking, Henri let me down slowly, his hand brushing along my thigh. I nearly shivered from the contact but as soon as Henri put me down, he took a step back, his face carefully blank.

"Ready to try again?"

I pivoted, scowling. "No!" I exclaimed, "I nearly fell to my death and I do not want myself to try again! I've had to many near death experiences today."

A ghost of a smile whispered across Henri's lips. "Yes, you nearly fell to your death but it's not you that I want to try again."

I blinked. "What?"

"I want Artemis to try the course."

I narrowed my eyes. "What exactly do you mean?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I bet you that if Artemis did this course, she would pass it in seconds. It is only _you _that is terrified of the course. But Artemis and you are the same person. You should be able to do anything she can do."

I turned away from him, looking out across the horizontal ladder. I had never looked upon something so daunting.

He was right though. Artemis and I were the same person and, if she could do it, then so could I.

I took a deep breath and mentally searched my mind. In the furthest reaches, where the shadows lay, was where Artemis had hidden throughout my life. However, the door that was once sealed was now slightly ajar. I pushed the door until it swung, gaping, outwards. Artemis rushed in.

"_Tell me, Apollo. Did you enjoy it?"_

_The eleven of us, Zeus not included, was gathered on the edge of a cliff. Across the endless expanse of nothingness was the edge of another cliff, a thin horizontal ladder serving as a bridge across the wide chasm. I could tell that Persephone had finally been welcomed home to Demeter for the grass was a vibrant shade of emerald and the sky was a cool, cloudless sapphire. There was barely a breeze to soothe us from the heat that seemed to press down on us harder and harder until we, the gods, began to sweat from the heat. I pressed the knife deeper into Apollo's neck, urging him to reply while my family merely watched, grateful for the amusement._

_He grinned. "Enjoy what exactly, my dear Huntress?"_

_I scowled. "You turned my wolves orange, Apollo! Or have you inexplicably forgotten?"_

"_Hermes could've done it."_

_I snorted. "He has an alibi."_

"_He always has an alibi!"_

"_Apollo! Just tell me why!"_

_He shrugged, leaning slightly away from the glittering blade of my knife. "Your wolves, my dear sister, are dreadfully lifeless and dull. I thought that with the change of seasons, your wolves should have a brighter coat underneath the layer they shed. I do have to say, though, they do look quite entertainingly festive."_

"_My wolves are meant to inspire terror," I hissed, "Not perform acrobatics with orange fur so that my opponents are entertained whilst I kill them!"_

_Apollo frowned at me, the lines at the edge of his mouth deepening. "Has anyone ever told you that you're quite morbid?"_

"_Enough!"_

_I froze and, giving a final glare to my dear brother, turned to face my stepmother. Hera glared at me, her gaze so cold, ice particles began to form in the air around her head. Her shimmering honey coloured hair was pulled back into a regal bun at the top of her head, a glistening Polos adorning her head. "I have had enough of your rivalry. Zeus has asked us to complete this so complete this we shall. Let us get this over and done with so we can be ridded of this terrible heat!"_

_She narrowed her gaze, a malicious smile creeping its way up her face. "Artemis, my dear, you go first."_

_I scowled, trying to convey every ounce of hatred I had for that foul women into a simple expression. By the way Hera's face instantly darkened, I had a feeling that the message had been conveyed._

_Smirking slightly, I crossed the jade grass until I was at the beginning of the simple, stick ladder. I took a deep breath._

_I wouldn't let Hera have the satisfaction of watching me fail. However, it would be dearly satisfying to watch her as she watched me achieve. Spectacularly._

My eyes fluttered open, a smirk that had been previously decorating Artemis' features now decorating mine.

Taking a deep breath, I sprinted towards the edge, leaping lightly onto the first rung. I let Artemis guide me.

She led me through flips and various acrobatics I had never seen before in my life. I twirled through the air, my and barely touching the rungs. I felt exhilarated. Powerful.

I felt like a god.

The wind rushed around me, roaring in my ears as I lost all sense of which direction was up and down. I laughed at the air, feeling my muscles move to support myself with every trick and flip I made.

I landed gracefully at the other side, my breath even and calm. In that brief second, the power still coursed through my veins, sending my mind into a frantic frenzy. But, too soon, it was over.

I spun around, facing Henri with a smirk on my face. He was staring at me in amazement, mouth agape.

"You're turn."

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><p><strong>So, whatcha think?<strong>

**I'm trying to add humour so tell me in a review if you think I'm sucessful. Is there anything you want me to do? I'll take any help or constructive criticism.**

**Until next time, my lovelies :-D**


	12. Homework Attack

**So sorry guys for the long wait! Just ot warn you, this chapter is NOT one of my best because I feel the writing style has changed a tiny bit. Oh, well.**

**Hope you enjoy this little tid bit! :-D**

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!"

I frowned, giving Henri a long lasting glare. He returned it with equal ferocity, back turned to the Fire Stones. He had, so far, attempted to walk the stones twice and in that period of time, we had discovered that it really would be better if he just flew over the stones. However, we had also discovered that winged sandals were easily set aflame.

The soft, delicate feathered wings were now slighting charred around the edges and were giving off a putrid stench that smelled suspiciously like burnt roast.

I stared at the slightly smoking feathers in exasperation. "Look at them!" I exclaimed, gesturing to the sandals, "Give them a few more minutes and they'll have healed themselves."

Henri threw is hands up in exasperation. "Their winged sandals, Mia! We don't know if they'll heal themselves or perform an Irish jig."

I glanced at the sandals with disinterest. "Frankly, I think an Irish jig is going a bit too far."

Henri threw his hands up in exasperation. "Frankly, I think healing themselves is also going a bit too far."

He sighed, lowering his hands and turning so that his back was facing me. "I'll get Alex to heal them."

With that, he stalked through the Training Grounds, past the fire stones, rock climbing wall and high ropes course. I let out a frustrated sigh and ran to catch up with him. He was already by the Arch when I finally caught up with him. A trail of smoke, emitting from his sandals, was being left behind him like a trail of candy to be followed.

The Training Grounds were silent, a hazy light filtering through the leaves. Most of my siblings had probably left for dinner after seeing the almost golden atmosphere the Training Grounds seemed to be creating. Henri and I had decided to give the Fire Stones one last chance. However, it was pretty obvious what happened during that last chance.

Henri didn't even honour me with a single glance as we stepped underneath the Arch, the forest almost immediately darkening to an intense, chilling shade. If I hadn't already known, I would've never guessed that just past a certain tree was where the Training Grounds lay.

I walked leisurely beside him, sneaking glances his way when I was certain he wasn't looking. His face was pulled into a mask of irritation, a very impressive looking vein pulsing slightly at his temple. Every now and then, he would glare briefly at his sandals which were still smoking. From this angle, I could also see some still hot embers from the fires which were glowing eerily along the feathers.

I grinned. "I get it now. You're giving me the silent treatment."

Henri didn't answer. He just kept on walking, glaring in front of him as if he desperately wanted to kill something.

"You know," I began casually, "There _are_ ways to get you to speak."

I waited briefly for his response, cocking my head to one side as I waited.

When he still didn't voice a reply, I flicked my hand out carelessly, letting it lightly smack against Henri's broad shoulder. Like lightning, Henri's hand flashed out, grabbing my wrist. I barely had time to gasp as he yanked me into his arms, pinning my own hand against my back. I could see just a flicker of a smirk as he pushed me roughly against a nearby tree, successfully pinning me between his body and the tree.

All breath left my body in a sudden rush, my heart pounding against my chest. I raised my eyes slowly, my eyes passing his chest until they met with his jade eyes. My breath caught as I watched them darken slightly. The closeness between us was almost more then I could handle.

I could practically feel the heat from his body as it seeped through my clothes, creating tension in the pit of my stomach. I decided I didn't like the feeling. Since Grade Seven, I had refused to even _consider _dating a guy yet here I was, practically melting because of the _space _between us. It didn't help that the hot guys was also, kind of, my _brother. _

I refused to become one of those girls who had to fan themselves to keep them from fainting if a hot boy was within a mile from them.

No. Oh, to the Gods, no. I will _not _become one of them.

"Am I interrupting something?"

I blinked and, in one fluid movement, I shoved Henri away from me. He stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance and pivoting to face the intruder.

I plastered a fake, Barbie smile onto my face as I faced the intruder as well, studying his features intently. I gasped and, just like that, the smile slipped off.

"Eric?" I asked, disbelief colouring my voice.

He stepped out from the shadows, his golden hair ruffled slightly in such an irresistible way, he _had _to have gelled it. There was no way that was natural.

Sweat glistened down his tanned, muscled arms which were revealed by the black T-shirt he was wearing, giving him an almost glowing look. As if he was an otherworldly God.

He frowned. "You don't look like you have Mono."

I blinked. Mono?

Thankfully, Henri seemed to know what Eric was talking about. "We're actually all feeling alright nowadays but our Uncle wants to keep us here a few more days just in case."

Eric nodded as if this made perfect sense. It was only then that I noticed the large stack of papers that lay by his feet. I gestured to them, the answer of what they might be immediately coming to my head. "Homework?"

Eric lips turned into a lopsided smile. "How did you guess? I had to collect them for your _entire _family, Artemis. Do you know just how _many _people are in your family?"

I shrugged. "Believe me when I say I know exactly what you're talking about."

I was just about to offer to take the homework off his hands when another thought hit me. I froze. "Did you just call me Artemis?"

Henri glanced at me sharply. I knew what he was implying. Eric was getting dangerously close to treacherous grounds. It was impossible for him to know, though. We had been cut off from all civilisation since I accidentally went all Xena Warrior Princess on Aaron.

Eric cocked his head to one side, giving me a curious glance. "It's what everyone at school calls you. Apparently they thought that nicknaming you after a Greek God that was known for her archery would be pretty cool. I'm sorry to say, though, I don't know much else about her other then she's meant to have sworn off men."

I resisted the urge to sigh in relief. I had almost completely forgotten about the stupid nickname those at school called me.

I pulled myself together shakily, aiming a thin smile at Eric. "Right. I completely forgot about that."

Eric shrugged. "You shouldn't forget it," he grinned, "It kinda suits you."

I shivered at his words. They were hitting dangerously close to home. Henri tensed beside me, cords straining through his tanned arms.

Eric shuffled his feet nervously. "Well," he began awkwardly, "I should probably go home. My brothers are probably killing themselves with worry."

"Yeah," Henri said, voice hard, "That would probably be a good idea."

I was blown away by the hostility in Henri's voice. He had never been openly hostile towards anyone that I've known before. That had always been Aaron's thing.

However, what really bothered me was the way the Henri said it. It was almost _protective._

It seemed to only slide off Eric though. He raised a perfect eyebrow at Henri, pulling up a side of his mouth into a smirk. "I'll see you guys around then."

With one last knowing smirk at Henri, Eric turned on his heel and disappeared into the forest.

I refused to acknowledge Henri who was staring at where Eric had just stood with a very self satisfied smirk. Instead I strode to where our books sat on the ground, reaching out to grab them. "Alright," I said, heaving the books into my arms, "Let's get these back home."

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><p>"What the Hades is a contrabassoon? Isn't it a monkey or something?"<p>

To say that my family was excited about the very recently appearing homework pile would be an outright lie. It was immediately met with excuses and groans with the exception of Anna. However, as soon as Uncle Carl had entered the room, there had been a rush of us clambering to get our homework, acting as if they couldn't do their school work quicker. We had decided to take our homework into the Greek Room, pushing the countless stainless steel tables to create one large table. We were now crowded around the table, each of us working on our separate homework tasks. I had discovered in that period of time how many large projects and essays an average grade eleven student could get.

Haden, Alex and Harry were packed tightly together and were constantly screaming out questions to whoever was listening, pleading for the answer.

Alex was currently letting out an exasperated sigh, reaching over to pluck the homework sheet out from underneath Haden's hands. "Dude," he sigh, "You idiot, this is my music homework not your environmental science."

Haden frowned. "But I swear a contrabassoon is a monkey."

Alex had the right state of mind not to answer.

Another side of the large manmade table held Anna, Zach, Po, Deanna and Helena who were flying by the homework with amazing precision, heads bent low as they scribbled in answers with self reassured faces.

Henri was to my left, homework lying forgotten on the table. His feet were resting by my elbows, his hands behind his head as he leaned on the back two legs of the chair. I had been right. His sandals were healing nicely. No more were they leaving a trail of smoke in their wake nether were they slightly charred anymore. In fact, the only clue they gave you was the fact that they still smelt slightly of burnt roast.

My heightened senses picked up something. I jerked my head towards the sound of the noise, squinting my eyes at the shadows in the furthest corners of the room. No one else seemed to have heard something yet a prickling sensation was trailing its way down my neck. I felt as if _someone _was watching me.

Then I heard it.

The unmistaken sound of a spear speeding through the air.

Instincts kicked in.

"Henri!" I screamed, "Get down!"

I pushed him off the chair and onto the ground. Kicking my own chair to the side, I ducked low as well, partially laying on Henri's stunned body.

"What the hell are you doing, Mia?"

His question was answer as a loud _thud! _echoed throughout the room and a thick spear embedded itself into the wall directly across from us.

A shocked silence. I pulled my head carefully up to peer over the table, pushing Henri down when he attempted to look with me. Homework papers and other stationary were strewn carelessly over the table. My siblings didn't give a second glance at the spear, however, They were all in battle positions, sharpened swords in hands where pencils were only a few seconds before.

Every muscle in my body was tensed, ready to spring up and attack whoever dared attack me. All senses were on high alert. I was aware of every dust mote, of every particle in the table. I was also very aware of Henri beneath me. Not looking at him, I warily pulled myself into a crouch, straightening slowly. I was barely aware of Henri sitting up, brushing himself off.

Then I heard it again.

I plummeted to the ground, shoving Henri to ground with me just as another spear zoomed above our heads.

"Stop doing that!" he hissed in my ear but I took no notice. Another voice was speaking. A voice that sounded suspiciously like...

"The first rule of War: Always be prepared for attack." Aaron yelled, triumph colouring his voice.

Aw, hell.

This _was _not going to be good.

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><p><strong>So, whatcha think? Your reveiws and opinions are incredibly dear to me and it would rock my world to hear more!<strong>

**I'll update more very soon 'just let me think of where this is going first...'**


	13. War

**OMG, guys! I'm SO sorry for the wait! I had a lack of inspiration and I couldn't find it in me to write anymore. I'll try REALLY hard to update at least once a week but, mind you, I have exams (shoot me) so I might be a TINY bit late. So SO sorry...**

**Oh, well, ENJOY :-D**

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

I didn't bother waiting for anyone's reactions. Latching onto Henri's bicep, I heaved him into a standing position. Aaron stood, legs spread and sword pointed, a little way to my left, glaring at us hungrily.

Henri glanced at Aaron in confusion. "He's attacking us?"

"Looks like it." I muttered. Instincts warred with logic. I felt the need to stand there and feel the sharp _twang! _vibrate through my hands as I let an arrow loose at Aaron but logic said that, no matter how insanely impulsive or immature Aaron may be, he was still my brother.

Ah, to hell with logic.

Artemis won over my head with a triumphant screech. Her Huntress Bow was in my hand and, as if in a dream, I was raising it to eyelevel, a perfectly balanced arrow materializing in my hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

My attention didn't break. Slowly, deliberately I aligned the arrow with Aaron's thigh, seeking to maim and not kill. I fingered the bow string carefully, drawing it back. A hand suddenly clamped down on my mine as soon as I let the arrow loose. It zoomed to Aaron's right, missing his thigh by a hairs breadth.

Then all hell broke loose.

Grinning widely, Aaron let out an ear-splitting battle cry, brandishing his sword wildly as he charged forwards. Anger colouring my features, I glared at up at the face that belonged to the hand, my eyes meeting Henri's shocked ones. I didn't have time to react as he yanked me away from the table and my siblings. I cast a hopeless look towards Aaron, desperately wishing that I could be there, fighting alongside my siblings. Aaron had already reached Zach and Anna and was duelling them both with an amount of ferocity that could rival a lions. I could see their grins as they participated in the mock war and the wheels and cogs turning in their heads as they quickly decided which side in the war they would take. Zach's side or Aaron's side.

I barely noticed when Henri dragged me up the spiral staircase and through the maze of catwalks, him ignoring my futile struggles. He jerked me into a small alcove in the wall just as a spear zipped by us, missing our heads by mere inches. Unbelievable red rage darted through me. If Henri hadn't been clutching me so tightly that my arm was turning purple, I had no doubt that I would've snatched that pathetic excuse for a spear out of the air and hurl it towards our attacker with enough force to decapitate him.

Shoving me roughly against the wall, Henri leaned against my back heavily while trapping my wrists between him and myself, whispering fiercely in my ear, "What are you trying to do exactly, Mia? I swear to the Gods that, sometimes, I think you have a death wish."

"Well, terrific," I muttered, twisting my wrist out of his grasp and pivoting so that I was facing him. I was way too uncomfortable with the minimal space between us. I met his glare with one of my own. "He's our own brother, Henri. He won't hurt us if this is just a mock war."

Henri raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure about that?"

"Completely."

He smirked and, just like that, all my confidence faded. "Wrong answer."

I let out an ear piercing shriek and he gave me an almighty shove back onto the steel catwalks. I scarcely had anytime to drop to the ground before several spears flew through the air above me, one right after the other. Alright, so maybe I was wrong.

"Aaron!" I screeched, rising from the catwalk with a lethal grace. He was at the opposite end on the catwalk, brandishing two more spears in one hand and a sword in the other. I reached up to my scimitars sheaths but to only feel empty air.

Damnit.

I quickly judged the distance between myself and the alcove where Henri was frantically gesturing for me to return while Aaron fluidly drew his spear arm back. I knew I wouldn't make it there in time so I decided to once again reply on the plan that had gotten me out of many more situations then one. Improvisation.

However, I didn't really get the chance.

A large, very _alive _object crashed into me just as Aaron flung the spear into the air, forcing me over the railings and off the edge of the catwalk. I didn't feel compelled at all to scream while I fell, warm arms pressing into my sides with enough force to crack a tree. I just closed my eyes shut and hoped that it would be over soon.

There was nothing but the roar of wind in my ears and the strange sensation you felt when you were free falling, the sensation that left you with a nervous pit in your stomach. I clung tightly to the arms holding me, barely noticing when the wind stopped and my body jolted against someone's chest.

"You can open your eyes."

I opened them warily, blinking hazily against the light. Henri's face was smiling down at me, a wicked gleam in his eye. A sudden jolt ran through me when I realised that I was_ in Henri's arms._

Hastily, I pushed his arms away from me, landing lithely on my feet like a feline. I tried desperately to ignore his hand brushing against my thigh before dropping uncharacteristically by his side. I straightened, turning away from Henri's smirking face.

"Let's get out of here," I snapped.

I didn't give him a chance to reply. I sprinted through the Greek Room and past our man made battle field. As we flew up the stairs I was barely aware of a loud footed person pursuing us. I pumped my legs harder, forcing myself to put my entire soul and body into this small run. Soon, Henri past me, his winged sandals fluttering slightly in the wind he created. By the time I got to the door, Henri was already there, holding the door open with his foot. I dashed past him and through the door, Henri thankfully trailing behind me.

I clambered up the side of the hill, clothes tearing as they got caught on the short, thorny bushes that dotted it.

By the time I reached the top, sweat soaked my shirt and stray leaves and other, various, debris was sticking from my clothes. I didn't care to notice, however.

I let out the breath I hadn't realised I had been holding as soon as I entered the forest. I was back in my element.

"Henri, go left!"

I swivelled to the left. The forest passed me in a blur, the scenery melting into a single swirling mass of greens, browns and blues. The dirt was spongy and moist, my feet sinking into the ground with each step I took.

Henri was speeding alongside me, his wings fluttering nervously against the wind. He looked like he was ready to kill Aaron in an extremely torturous and painful way but he was still to come up with an idea that would satisfy his thirst for blood.

I grinned. If I had it my way, he would let me help him do it too.

I glanced behind me warily, narrowing my eyes at the endless expanse of trees. I could _hear _them but I couldn't see them. However, even then, I still highly doubted that they would catch me in the forest. After all, I was the _Goddess _of the Forest.

You know what they say. Never underestimate Karma.

I tripped. I should've guessed. Karma always had a way of finding me.

An electric bolt of pain shot up the side of my leg as I came crashing down, my foot tangling itself into the roots of a nearby tree.

"Mia!"

I glanced up to see Henri running towards me, a look of panic evident on his face. He was at my side in an instant, his hands circling around my waist before I had a chance to protest.

In one fluid motion, he was holding me, bridal style, in his arms.

I smacked his chest causing him to flinch beneath me. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed.

He looked pretty darn confused. "Helping you?"

"I don't need any help so put me down!"

He grip tightened around me. "No."

I blinked. "No?"

"No."

Well, this hadn't happened to me before. "And why not?"

"When your brothers with a guy who studies medicine, you happen to know when someone has sprained their ankle," his hand ran along my leg until it came to my right foot, holding it tenderly. The touch sent tingles down my spine, "Yours is sprained."

"Gee, Sherlock" I said sourly, "I didn't know."

I folded my arms against my chest, glaring at Henri. However, the infuriating idiot just smiled. He could see that I had given up and that he had won.

I sighed. He was never going to let me down for this.

I froze against his chest a he suddenly raised a few feet into the air. My hand reached for the fabric of his shirt, scrunching it in my hands. I hoped he realised that, if he went any higher, I would make his life miserable.

Unfortunately, I don't think he did realise that.

We soared into the air, my breath leaving me in an instant. I buried my head into Henri's chest as everything around us blurred together like a plain canvas that had just been splattered with paint. I groaned loudly. I hated heights.

However, I'm pretty sure I felt Henri's chest rumble as he laughed. Imbecile.

A roar could be heard in the distance, however, it was unlike any roar I've heard from an animal. In fact, if given the option, I would probably say that it sounded a lot like...

Dear lord.

"Henri?" I mumbled against his chest, "I think Aaron is really pissed off."

He laughed again. "Really? I would've never guessed."

Frowning, I raised my head to glare at him. However, that had probably not been one of my better ideas. The world began spinning around me, turning upside down until I had no sense of gravity. I felt as if an icy cold hand gripped my heart and was holding it hostage until I gave up my fear like Artemis would've.

Pain shot through my skull, announcing the presence of another memory.

"_Release me at once, Hermes," I hissed, arms folded against my chest as I glared at the winged trickster. The sky was a clear blue, the sun shining down on us. Any other day, I would've enjoyed the clear brilliance in sky but at the moment, as I was being held hostage by Hermes, I had yet to find the time._

_Hermes grinned. "Are you so sure you want me to comply with your wishes, Milady," he said mockingly. _

_His hands jerked for one terrifying moment, allowing me to slip in his arms. I gripped him tightly in fear and almost immediately realised my mistake._

"_I see you'd rather be with your trickster cousin then fall to your unfortunate death."_

_I raised a single eyebrow, daring him to rethink that statement. He was a fool if he could think he could control me by flight. Unfortunately, he was going to have to learn that valuable life lesson the hard way._

_In an instant, I ripped his hands from my body, watching his face widen in shock as I plummeted to the ground. The wind roared in my ears, a ferocious beast preparing to attack. I laughed, the sound like tinkling bells, and spread my arms wide, feeling the wind rush past them._

_Hermes was diving towards me, a look of pure fear in his eyes. However, I felt it was more fear of Zeus then fear for my safety that was the cause of such emotion. I grinned, closing my eyes as I let darkness envelop me. For a moment, I wasn't falling._

_I was merely standing in a vast wasteland, a limbo between worlds._

_When I opened my eyes, I wasn't falling. I was standing on solid ground, the forest surrounding me, hiding me within its leaves._

_Hermes would never find me in my element. While he was born of the sky, I was born of the forest. I would always return to it._

I regained my senses with a gasp, unintentionally reaching out to clasp onto Henri. However, my hands never found Henri. All they found was empty air.

That's when I realised where I was.

I was in a clearing, eerily similar to the one I saw in the memory. The trees were swaying slightly with the breeze, totally calm that a person had intruded their sanctuary. I barely noticed that the pain had totally disappeared from my foot as if it had mysteriously healed completely.

However, I cared a lot less about the trees and the pain in my ankle then my main worry. How, in Olympus's name, did I get here?

"Henri?" I called timidly. No answer.

I was on my own.

Oh well.

I studied the surrounding forest carefully. The giant oaks were the same that grew around the farm, however, I instantly knew that I was in a part I hadn't discovered before. The trees were too large and, in the distance, I could hear the babbling of a brook. Though there was a small river extending from the lake near the farm, the river instantly wound its way towards civilisation. I had never even heard of a river out here that twined its way through the forest and I knew every forest better than anyone else.

A twig cracked to my right and I pivoted, my gaze narrowing. I tensed as a creature burst from the bush, its long snout poking at the ground.

I stared at the creature in shock. Wait. Was that an anteater?

A sudden jolt of dizziness hit me causing me to stumble slightly. I felt as if my entire world was spinning, as if there was no sense of gravity, no up or down, no left or right. The very particles of my being were being ripped apart, scattering me across the world. The forest around me slowly blurred away, another vision replacing it.

I was in a wasteland; the sand stained an unearthly red. The orange sky was lit up by a red orb that hung lifeless in the sky, a sun that never moved, that never showed any life.

A rapid breeze pulsed through the desert, particles of sand dancing in the air. It was beautiful, unearthly and everything one might dream of in their imagination. But then, just like that, it disappeared.

The dizziness that washed over my previously was gone, leaving only a numb sense of bewilderment. Once again, I was forced into a situation where I had no idea what was going on.

However, that just made things more fun for me.

I fluttered my eyes open, barely noticing that, instead of standing, I was lying on the ground. I was expecting the sight of a clearing of trees and the noise of a babbling brook. I was _not _expecting the sight of the farm house a few hundred metres off and the sound of two voices arguing.

"She just disappeared! Right out of my arms!"

"Henri, calm down. She probably has everything under control."

"No, you don't understand. It was _deliberate. _She ripped herself away from me and then, _as she was falling_, she just _faded away!_"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Then how come she's right there."

Silence.

I lifted myself gently from the ground, standing on unstable legs as I tried to clear the buzzing in my head. I glanced towards the voices to see a jaw slacked and wide eyed Henri and Zach, who was staring at me with only a bit of mild interest.

Henri sprinted to me, crossing the distance between us in a few short seconds. He was so fast, I swear I could only see a blur of him but it was probably only my imagination.

His hands were instantly on my shoulders attempting to help me but I shrugged them off. I was no defenceless maiden.

Suddenly, another wave of dizziness hit me and my legs buckled beneath me. I crashed into the ground, everything in front of me blurring together. My breath came out in short, laboured pants. As my vision was beginning to darken, I swore I heard _something _in my mind whisper something. It sounded suspiciously like the word, _Amateur. _As if someone was disappointed in me.

Then everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>So, whatcha think? Aaron is NOT the bad guy but I will get to the climax of the story VERY soon so be patient. <strong>

**Do you know what makes mw write A LOT more? COMMENTS! I would absolutley LOVE IT if you review guys 3**


	14. Apocalypse

**Okay guys, it took me a while but, like I promised I have updated the next week :-D**

**I really hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Chapter 13<p>

"Is she alive?"

Alex's voice pierced through the foggy darkness in my mind like a spear, light shining wherever it went. I just wanted it to go away.

"She has a pulse, Alex," Anna's very familiar voice snapped, "However, she is the least of our problems."

"She's my twin sister! She is my top priority."

"Oh, so you don't care that four of us are unconscious, one is getting take-out in China, two have turned themselves into puddles and the other three are in solitary confinement."

Silence. "Well, when you put it like that..."

A sigh. "I'm going to check on Phe. She's still muttering about someone called Psyche."

I groaned. My head felt as if it was in overload. Images flashed through my mind of a beautiful red headed girl and a blonde haired boy. They were laughing, the boy winding his hands around the girl's waist, hugging her closer to him. The girl, Psyche, giggled, batting his arms playfully as he trapped her against his body, his Greek Sea blue eyes sparkling. The boy was entirely too familiar, every golden curl and each dimple sending a flash of recognition through me. However, as soon as I felt the name on the tip of my tongue, it disappeared.

Another image filled my mind, a familiar pain working its way through its skull.

_I was running._

_The world was blanketed in a cloud of darkness, the quickly fading moon giving off no light. Every time the moon faded a little bit more, I felt myself fade as well. Apollo had already faded with the sun, his eyes full of tears as he looked at me for the last time._

_I choked back a sob as blood red thunder flashed across the sky. I would not cry._

_I would mourn for my lost Huntresses and my dear brother but I would never let a tear fall down my cheek. It was beneath me._

_My eyes unwillingly focused on a column of smoke some distance off. It was almost as if every single storm cloud and shadow in the world had combined to create this one massive swirling column coming from the sky. Just barely I could see two tiny figures standing beneath it struggling to hold up the unbearable weight._

_A slight tug on my hand halted me in my steps, tearing my gaze away to look at the man holding my hand, snatching it away from him and stringing an arrow quickly._

"_What is it Hermes?" I hissed._

_His eyes were glued on something in the distance, looking in the general direction of Ares and Athena attempting to hold the world on their shoulders. "We should help them," he whispered._

_I shook my head. "We can't, Hermes, and you know that. If we attempted to aid them we would perish alongside them. Only Atlas can hold the world upon his shoulders and he is under _their _protection. There is absolutely nothing we can do."_

_He gestured wildly behind, pointing to a blond haired God and an auburn haired mortal with exasperation. "Then why not help them! Eros and Psyche are dying."_

_I barely glanced their way. "It's too late for them," I said just as a loud chilling laugh echoed through the world. "And it shall be for us as well if we don't find Hades."_

I sat up with a gasp, causing someone quite close to me to jump. My world was spinning. I almost expected to see the end of the world right in front of me as I snapped my eyes open. Unbearable sadness enveloped me. While I knew Aaron, Anna and Alex were completely and utterly fine, I still felt as if I had watched them die. Maybe I had.

I looked up to see Alex staring at me in shock, his mouth hanging wide open. Relief flooded through me like a wave and, before I knew what I was doing, I pounced on him, squeezing him tightly while I buried my head in his shoulders. His arms reluctantly wound their way around my waist as if they didn't know what they were doing.

"Thank the Gods you're not dead," I whispered.

He patted my back awkwardly. "Me too?"

I leaned back to grin at him, the first words coming to my mind charging out of my mouth. "When the sun faded, I was so devastated that you died. Has Ares and Athena survived as well?"

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I froze. Had I really just said that?

Alex looked just a tiny bit shocked at my choice of words as well, eyeing me warily as he gently pushed me back onto the metal table.

That's when I realised where we were. When I had fainted, they must have taken me into the Greek Room. However, it seemed I wasn't the only one who had a random burst of otherworldly powers. Deanna, Helena and Harry were lying on the steel tables beside mine, barely moving.

In fact, if it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of their chests I would've thought they were dead. Pain shot through me.

Dead.

They had been dead once. I just couldn't remember how.

"Anna?" Alex called, keeping his eyes on me, "Are you dead?'

"What?" I heard her snap somewhere from my left, "Do I _sound _dead to you, Alex?"

"Well, Mia says that you and Aaron nearly died or something like that."

She appeared in front of me like magic, her midnight curls carelessly thrown into a messy bun. She looked like she had just woken up to find that she had something extremely important to do and she was unfortunately late for it.

She studied me intensely before running a hand through her bangs. "Great, instead of four unconscious, we now have three unconscious and one mentally insane."

"Hey," I said indignantly, "I am _not _insane. I just had a strange flash back."

"Really?" she asked curiously, "What about?"

I frowned. I felt as if what I had just experienced was something I wasn't meant to see. Something that should be kept a secret until the time was right. "The battle of Troy."

Anna frowned. "Oh."

I cast my eyes around the room, skimming over the two rather large water puddles on the floor to land on Zach and Aaron, who were both facing the walls, muttering to themselves.

"What happened to them?" I asked, shrugging off Alex's hand as he tried to feel my forehead.

"Our powers are coming in." Anna answered.

I slapped Alex's attempts away again, standing up. "But our powers have already come in. We've been practicing."

"Those were our individual powers. We also, apparently, have every other single power you can think of." She winked at me, "Including teleportation."

I followed her as she walked towards the end of the room, leaving Alex to continually feel the pulse of those still unconscious. "So what's the problem?"

I stopped to stand beside her as she gazed at the two puddles on the floor. "We don't know how to use our powers as well as the fact that we also don't know what our powers _are _untilthey show up. For example," she gestured to each of the puddles in turn, "Puddle One and Puddle Two are actually Haden and Po. Po accidentally turned them into puddles. Problem is we don't know how to turn them back," she turned to me, "Get my drift?"

"Clearly." I said dryly. I glanced towards Phe who was glaring daggers at a picture of a beautiful red headed girl. With a shock, I recognised her as Psyche from my flashback.

"Who's that?" I asked Anna, pointing to the picture.

Anna didn't even glance Phe's way. "Phe went searching on the internet and came across the Face book page of a girl called Phillipa Turner. She almost immediately printed out the girl's photo and started an extremely colourful rant on how much she hated a girl she had never met."

"Huh."

Truthfully, I wouldn't put it past Phe. However, I did struggle to remember the connection between Aphrodite and Psyche. I had a strange feeling it had something to do with her son (ugh, Phe with a _son_) Eros marrying someone prettier than her.

I nodded in satisfaction. It made sense.

Phe had always harboured an incredible jealousy fuelled hate for girls who just barely threatened her beauty. I could only _imagine _how Phe would act if she came across a girl who was not only more _pretty _compared to her, but also made _Phe _look like some wannabe hooker.

I would personally find it hilarious, however, I doubt Phe would find the humour in it.

A sudden jolt of dizziness, the pain familiar as it wound its way through my head. I dropped to the ground with a gasp, my hands gripping my head. I squeezed my eyes shut, barely aware of Anna dropping to the ground next to me, her hands shaking my shoulders.

She was yelling things incoherently into my ear but, slowly, a sense of weightlessness was enveloping me.

I knew what would happen soon. I would visit what I called the Wasteland and then reappear in a place I had never seen before in my life. A very exasperated voice in the back of my mind whispered, _Pathetic._

This did_ not _help.

My eyes flew open, scrambling to look at something solid, something that didn't suddenly disappear and reappear in random places but all I saw was Anna drawing back a fist, a look of regret in her eyes. Her words were barely piercing the fog in my mind. "We have to knock her out before she gets herself stuck in China."

Then, for the second time that day, everything went black.

* * *

><p>"Has she woken up yet?"<p>

"No, Henri, generally when you're knocked out, you _stay _knocked out. At least for a while."

"Have you tried the water?"

"I sprinkled some on her face but it didn't work."

"Sprinkled! That won't work! You have to do this!"

I jerked up suddenly; gasping for breath as what felt like an entire bucket of water was splashed onto me. I rubbed my eyes, flicking a strand of water soaked hair out of my face to see a very shocked looking Alex and a very cheerful looking Henri.

"You look like you've been thrown into Hoover Dam," he said happily, "At least it did the trick."

"I'd like to throw _you _into Hoover Dam," I muttered darkly. Once again, for the second time that day, I had woken up on one of the steel, blood stained tables that lined the walls of the Greek Room. Helena, Deanna and Harry lay where they were last time I saw them, totally undisturbed. The two puddles that were once Haden and Po had fortunately disappeared though, along with the picture of Phillipa Turner and her silent hater.

I glanced to where Zach and Aaron were once muttering at a wall but all I saw was a few cracks in the plaster and what looked like blood splattered across the wall.

He grinned an impish smile, his hair ruffled when, suddenly, he wasn't. A wind swept through the room and Henri just disappeared. I glanced at Alex, shocked, but he looked slightly bored as he stared at the wall of monitors above my head.

Suddenly, I could feel hot breath at my neck, a voice whispering, "Now, where would the fun be in that?"

I twisted my body so that I was facing Henri who had somehow moved quickly enough behind me, his eyes alight. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion. "How did you do that?"

Another burst of wind swept through the room, a blur of colour speeding past my right. I pivoted, once again, on the table to see Henri standing where he had been only a few moments ago, grinning. "Super-speed," he boasted, "Face it. I am now officially awesome."

I raised an eyebrow, opening my mouth to speak when a scream pierced through the air.

I snapped my mouth shut with a _thunk!, _Alex jumping slightly and turning to peer through the door leading into Uncle Carl's study.

Henri, however, just grinned. "That happened sooner than expected."

I looked at him strangely. I hadn't seen Henri this happy since he dumped a bucket of sewerage water on our Principal's head. "What exactly did you do, Henri?" I asked cautiously.

He inspected the wall intensely. "I put four weasels in Anna's room."

I blinked. "Weasels?"

"From Russia!" he said cheerfully.

I truthfully did not know how to respond to that. Alex threw back his head and laughed. "You better run, Henri. Anna isn't going to rest until she gets you back."

"Actually, my dear friend," Henri smirked, "I left your calling card."

"What?"

"You better run, Beach Boy."

A loud scream echoed down the hall. It sounded suspiciously like the word, "Alex!"

Alex let out a colourful string of swear words, wasting no time in sprinting to the wrought iron staircase, disappearing into the maze of catwalks above our heads.

I allowed myself a small smile, expecting Henri to look overjoyed that his prank had worked. However, when I looked up, it was to realise that his smile had slipped off his face, his emerald eyes giving me a once over.

I frowned, urging Henri's eyes to meet mine. "You did that so that Alex could leave, didn't you?"

He ignored that question, instead answering it with his own. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Henri."

He shook his head. With a shock, I realised that Henri actually looked _hurt. _"You didn't have a pulse, Mia. When you passed out in front of me and Zach, you _didn't have a pulse. _I thought you _died._"

"I'm not dead, Henri," I said softly. I didn't know why I was putting his feelings into consideration. For some unknown reason I, Amelia Lewis, felt _guilty _about scaring Henri.

"I know that now, it's just," he sighed, "When you passed out, Mia, I had a flashback."

I froze, barely daring to breathe. I had a sneaking suspicion of what this memory was about.

"It showed what I could imagine as the apocalypse," he continued, not knowing that every word was like a dagger to the heart, "And, well, Hermes watched you die, Mia. Artemis, actually, but she looked like you so much that I felt as if _you _were the one dying."

I didn't dare to speak as he aimlessly picked up one of my arrows, fiddling with it. The silence was weighing down upon me heavily, restricting my ability to speak.

Finally, Henri spoke up again. "It makes me wonder," he said, running his finger along the arrow head before looking up to meet my eyes, "Why are we here? What caused the Greek Gods to allow themselves to die in the hope that they would be reincarnated? Were they running from something and, if so, what was it? Is it _still _after us?"

"I don't know," I whispered then, my voice stronger, I said, "But if it is, then it will be no match for us. We'll look down on its dead body and laugh, Henri, I promise."

Henri, however, didn't look very reassured. If anything, he looked even more depressed, the previous laughter in his eyes gone. He dropped the arrow onto the table, stuffing his hands in his pockets, suddenly smiling.

I didn't truthfully know how to deal with this sudden mood change, narrowing my eyes as he winked playfully at me.

"I guess you're right," he agreed, shrugging, "Now, I should probably leave before Aaron discovers what I put in his bed."

I frowned. "What did you put in his bed?"

He didn't need to answer, however. As soon as the words left my mouth, I could hear the distant yells of, "What the bloody hell is this!"

Henri winked again. "See you later, Archer."

And with a burst of wind, he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you have it under control?"<p>

"Yes Anna," I said impatiently, "I am completely fine."

I was sitting in the lounge room, taking my usual spot in the circle besides a very disgruntled looking Alex. Every now and then, Anna would shoot murderous glares in his direction, muttering something about "filthy vermin." Alex had the grace to ignore this, instead choosing to stare at the window, watching the dark, star filled sky.

The fire was roaring merrily, an explosion of red, yellows and oranges. At the beginning of the meeting, Haden had reached into a fireplace and, when he had withdrawn his hand, it was to reveal a ball of glittering fire cupped in the palm of his hand.

Surprisingly enough, as I gazed around the room, there was barely a time that one of us _didn't _use our powers. At the moment, I could see a string of water repeatedly curl around Po's fingers, Deanna, who was staring at a potted plant, was making the petals of the flower reopen and close while Zach had amused himself during Anna's rant by turning the ceiling into a complete replica of the night sky above us, twinkling stars shining down on us.

If someone had told me a few weeks ago that my family would be able to do all this, I would have given them instructions on how to get to the nearest Loony Bin. However, now, to us, having powers was _normal. _Any previous doubts about our apparent reincarnated powers were gone, replaced with talent, skill and self belief that we could handle it.

Though I would hate to admit it, we actually acted like the Gods sometimes.

The thought scared me.

We had spent the last hour and a half crowded in the lounge room, discussing the discovery of our very recent individual powers. Anna had argued passionately that they were dangerous and could lead to our exposure, however, Zach was more relaxed then her, trusting us to take care of ourselves. Then Anna decided to use me as an example. I wasn't incredibly happy about this but I couldn't voice it. Zach wouldn't be impressed and he _was_, technically, King of the Gods.

"Mia, are you even listening to me?"

I raised my eyebrows at Anna. "My teleportation problem is under control and even if it wasn't, we're going back to school in a few days time. We don't have the time to study and take notes on our every individual problem. We just need to go along with it and hope that, like our past self, we will, one day, be able to control it."

"She has a point," Zach said, oblivious to the glare he was receiving from Anna, "We can control the vast majority of our powers and those that we can't control, we've been taught how to hide until a time where we _can _control them."

"But how do we know that we can control and hide our powers?" Anna interrupted, "For all we know, we might just think we have complete control. We should at least conduct a few more tests. Just in case."

A loud groan emitted throughout the room. No one wanted to be another victim of one of Anna's tests.

Zach seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "You're right. We do need to figure out if what we think is correct but perhaps through another way then being lab rats all day. Maybe a training exercise?"

This seemed to go well with everyone else. Our heads snapped up, holding our breaths just in case it was too good to be true.

Anna sighed, defeated. "Fine. I'll have to watch the exercise in order to take accurate notes, though. That means I'm not going to participate."

Zach grinned before turning to address all of us. "Meet me at the top of the left hill tomorrow morning at eight. We're going to be having one final showdown before school."

This was met with loud cheers from most of us.

"Now, I suggest you all get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

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><p><strong>Finally, after 12 chapters, I had finally reached the climax of the story! :P<strong>

**How did you like this chapter? Please review and tell me what you think! I might just change something just for you :-D**


	15. Downhill

**Okay guys, here we go! Thank you SO MUCH for all the lovely comments XD They really rock my world!**

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><p>Chapter 14<p>

I wasn't able to sleep.

I spent the night tossing and turning, repeatedly throwing off the blankets then reaching out to pull them back on. I was pretty sure Phe was damn well about ready to strangle me for keeping her from her precious beauty sleep but I couldn't help it.

The entire night, I was plagued with dreams of terrible things. I saw a blood red sky with great looming storm clouds and lightning. A column of storm clouds were spinning and twirling into a funnel, barely being kept from touching the ground by a strong looking woman. However, she soon collapsed, her place being taken by a man who looked like he ought to be in a Wrestling Match. But it wasn't long until he collapsed too, shielding the women with his body as the weight of the funnel fell upon him, his scream piercing the night air with their anguish.

Another scene I saw was one showing a group of young, beautiful women, silver, shimmering pieces of cloth barely covering their bodies. They fought valiantly against terrible and horrific beasts with glowing red eyes like burning coals, releasing arrow after arrow at them. But they, like the women holding the towering funnel of clouds collapsed, mercilessly slaughtered, their blood staining the ground red.

But the image that never left my mind, which continually haunted me throughout the night, was an image showing myself. Dying.

I felt the pain, over and over again, as the last sliver of moon faded from the sky and the forests burnt to ash. I felt as if I was being dipped in acid, burnt alive and drowned all at once, the pain working its way to my mind. As the pain intensified, a single high, cold laugh filled my senses as if someone was thoroughly enjoying my torture.

As these scenes, and more, played through my mind, a single word kept repeating itself.

Apocalypse.

I was a little bit too happy when the sun finally raised, Phe religiously going through her morning beautifying routine. While she carefully applied make-up to make it look like she wasn't wearing any, I threw on the armour I wore when I had first became Artemis, polishing the chest plate before moving on to sharpening my arrowheads.

"Do you intend on maiming your own family, Mia?" Phe asked as she threw on a pair of ripped, faded shorts and a very see through, white blouse. Once again, she wasn't wearing a bra.

Not exactly what I would call battle wear.

"No," I replied, "Do you intend on seducing your way to victory?"

She scoffed. "Of course not. I'm going to seduce someone else so that _they _can clear my way to victory."

Of course she was.

I had decided that, around then, it was a good time to leave for the hill. Phe was applying her perfume, the fumes filling the entire room with its sickly sweet vanilla aroma.

I would never understand girls who wanted to smell like a dessert.

The house was almost entirely empty as I passed the rooms and through the back door, the furniture giving off lonely shadows as the sun rose past the windows. Though this house had been our haven for the past few weeks, it gave off that forgotten feeling of loneliness, as if the house was only used as a place to sleep and nothing more. It didn't feel like home anymore, just a building that we happened to take over.

It barely took any energy to the climb the hill as it would've done a few weeks back. In fact, it was relatively easy as I reached the summit, realising that a large percentage of us were already at the hill.

Zach and Anna were perched on a large, flat stone, raising them above us while everyone else, Phe excluded, were scattered around them, sharpening their weapons or polishing their armour. They looked intimidating, terrifying, powerful.

They looked like Gods.

"Alright, listen up!" Zach shouted trying, and failing, in getting the attention of the Gods.

"Listen up!" he repeated.

They kept on talking. Sighing, Anna pushed Zach slightly back before yelling, "Shut the hell up or I'll chain you to a rock!"

Her voice echoed across the forest, the volume magnified by at least three times, successfully shutting up most of us. We had no doubt that she wasn't kidding.

Zach sheepishly nodded his thanks to Anna before returning his attention to us. "For all your sakes, I had to force myself through Anna's tests so that I could sit out on the fight and make sure that her notes were fair."

"Hey!" Anna snapped, slapping Zach half-heartedly on the back.

He ignored her. "We're going to split you into two groups of five and participate in what you might call a much more violent version of capture the flag," he gestured to five bright orange flags stuck into the earth at the very beginning of the forest, "One group will be protecting these flags from the other group. Every single member in the opposing team has to pick up a flag each in the three hour time span or else the other team will win. Understand?"

I nodded along with my brothers and sisters.

Zach grinned, carelessly running a hand through is already untidy, messy black hair. "Alright, can I have Po, Mia, Alex, Deanna and Harry to make their way to the opposite end to the forest? You guys will be the team in which your aim is to obtain a flag each. You can start when you hear the signal."

"How do we know what the signal is?" Po yelled who was leaning casually against a tree, his trident resting beside him.

A ghost of a smile flew across Zach's lips. "Believe me when I say _you'll know._"

I could feel someone slip their hand into mine, squeezing it gently before tugging me towards the forest. I smiled up at Alex who was staring at me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. As we entered the forest, I cast my gaze around for one last look at Henri. I saw him by one of the flags, dressed in a bronze chest plate and leather pants, catching his eye. I expected him to grin or smirk, scowl even, however, when he looked at me, I had a feeling that he knew exactly what I had been dreaming about the previous night, his face brimming with a knowing, dark look.

I shuddered.

* * *

><p>"You're nervous."<p>

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

"Shut up, guys," Po said quietly, rubbing his temples, "You're giving me a migraine."

I pointed to Alex, yelling, "It's his fault!" the same time he pointed to me and yelled, "It's her fault."

We glared at each other

"Twins." Harry muttered

I switched my glare to him. We had been standing there for at least fifteen minutes at the other side of the forest, waiting nervously for the signal to be heard. In those fifteen minutes, Alex had done his very best in trying to annoy me and, sadly, he had succeeded. Majorly.

I huffed, crossing my arms and turning away from my soon to be dead twin. "I can't believe I'm even _related_ to you," I snapped.

"Well toughen up," he retorted, "I've been related to you since you were born."

I pivoted to face him, eyebrows raised in disbelief. Lamest. Comeback. Ever. "No way, Sherlock. You know, I've had to deny knowing you since childhood."

He raised his eyebrows. "And I've been awesome since birth, what's your point?"

I let out a frustrated sigh. Besides Henri, I had never met a more infuriating person then my twin brother. "You are," I began, "the most frustrating, idiotic and clueless _boy _I've ever met."

He smirked. "Right back at you, Princess."

I threw my hands up in exasperation. This was going absolutely nowhere.

Deanna was watching us with a slightly confused look, her knuckles turning white as she clutched her jagged dagger tightly. Her previously tense and nervous face now held a slight smile as she watched Alex's and mines fight.

A loud siren sounded through the air. I glanced, panicked, at Po.

He grinned, seizing his trident from the ground, his eyes turning into two orbs of glittering, shimmering gold. For a brief moment, Po wasn't the familiar brother I had grown up, he was something more wild, feral and completely and utterly dangerous.

"V formation!" he shouted, "Let's go! Let's go!"

Like lightning, we were in formation and sprinting towards the forest. Instead of taking the path, we veered to the left, diving into the wild and unknown parts of the forest. Po's figure was just a blur in front of me as we sprinted through the bush, passing massive, hulking trees. I could hear the crash of footfalls behind me, growing louder with every passing second. My eyes darted everywhere taking in every shadow and sound.

As the first spear sped through the air towards us, narrowly missing Alex by a hair's breadth, Po called over his shoulder, "Split!"

I almost immediately lost sight of Po's figure as I veered to the right, breaking formation. My breathing was becoming harsh, my muscles burning slightly. I was excellent at cross country not long distance sprinting. I dashed into unknown parts of the forest, attempting to confuse anyone who might have been following me. I knew exactly where to go, a tug in my chest pulling me in the right direction. Something was calling to me but not in a language I could understand. In fact, I couldn't tell if it was words at all.

The pull could be felt in the deepest pits of my stomach as if some invisible force had sunk a fishing hook into my stomach, drawing me to it.

I vaguely noticed when the heavy footfalls behind me disappeared as well as the laboured pants that could've been heard by my pursuer. I swivelled my head behind me, taking in the dark, empty forest with a well trained eye. My pursuer was gone.

I slowed to a steady jog, nocking an arrow, keeping myself alert for any signs of my mystery pursuer. Only a few stray shafts of sunlight were able to penetrate the barrier of canopy, darkening the forest into an eerie, mysterious plane. Yet, even with the not preferred lighting, I felt as if I knew every single crook and corner in this forest. This was my element.

A sudden loud _crack! _resounded through the forest, echoing. It sounded like something you might hear before an earthquake, the noise of the very pits of hell snapping open and rising to meet the surface.

A dark figure was just within my line of sight, his arms raised as the earth around him split open, deadly looking fumes pouring out of the giant fissure. An unimaginable wave of heat swept through me as the fumes reached me but I pushed myself harder, putting one last burst of speed. More figures were rising from the jagged crevice, their skin a ghostly, skeletal white. The mere sight of them sickened me as I drew closer to them, allowing me a closer look at their appearance. Shock flashed through me as I realised what they were.

Skeletons.

Blood splattered their pearly white bones, clumps of spongy, mouldy skin still clinging onto their bones as if refusing to let go of life and succumb to death. Their faces were pulled into terrible, frightening grins, empty sockets where the eyes should've been following my every movement. They moved towards me at a sickly, sluggish pace as if savouring the thought of defeating me. Grim determination filled me as I snatched another arrow from my quiver, nocking a second arrow along with my first. It didn't help, however, that zombies had constantly plagued my nightmares as a child.

I now knew that the figure controlling them was Haden but I had never known that he had been able to do that. He must have saved his most treasured power for later, choosing to reveal it when he had the most perfect opportunity.

Well he wasn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve.

"πυρκαγιά," I whispered, letting the familiar power of Artemis wash over me, bathing me in it.

Turquoise flames flickered to life along the two arrowheads I was holding, bathing my face in its sickly blue glow. The flames moved and writhed as if they were alive and awaiting the chance of showing what they could do. A ghost of a smile crept up my lips as I stared at one of my most secret weapons.

Let's see how Haden could deal with the Greek Fire of the Gods.

I released the arrows, still running, watching them soar in a graceful arc before landing with precision by the skeletons. Almost immediately, the fire spread, bathing the entire forest in its ghostly blue glow. With a hiss, it attacked the skeletons, the stench of burning, rotting flesh filling the air. High pitched, unearthly wails pierced the air as the fire writhed and danced along the skeletons, burning them into a pile of ash at the ground.

Only when every single skeleton was ash by the ground did the fire flicker to a stop, the flames disappearing when it found its mission a success. I smirked.

As the smoke cleared, the dark figure of Haden had disappeared along with the crevice he had created.

I slowed warily as I approached the place where he had been standing only a few moments ago, glancing at the ground as if expecting it to tear open, sucking me into the depths of Tartarus.

I wouldn't have put it past Haden to do exactly that.

A large object suddenly burst from the bushes to the side of me, barrelling me over onto the dirt, my bow flying out of my grasp. I barely recognized Haden's messy, long black hair and deep, dark eyes before struggling out of his grasp, flipping him over onto his back so that I was straddling him instead. Grasping a thin dagger from my boot, I pinned it into the cloth of Haden's shirt, digging it in until it was buried in the ground as well, trapping Haden to ground for at least a few moments.

I leapt off of him, bringing myself into a battle position just as Haden ripped free of the dagger, his face pulled into a scowl. He did _not _look happy.

Snarling, he charged towards me. I breathed deeply, counting mentally. I waited until Haden was a mere metre in front of me before whipping my foot out and kicking him into a nearby tree. I was at his side before he could get his bearings, thrusting his head into the bark. I winced slightly as a loud _crack! _could be heard from his head.

He fell limply to the ground, blood trickling down the side of his head. "I'm sorry," I murmured.

I had no intention of knocking out one of my brothers that morning but I knew it had to be done. If he wasn't taken care of, he would keep coming after me.

I was lucky to defeat with him without much of a fight.

I let out a groan as I attempted to heave Haden into a standing position, his head lolling at his side. I pressed him against the tree with one hand, the other pressing itself against the cool bark of the oak. "αποκαλύψει."

Once again, I felt the familiar rush of Artemis's power stream through me and out my fingertips, diving into the oak.

Almost immediately, Haden began sinking into the tree, his body, head and legs completely disappearing within its depths and out of sight. Before he could fall right through the tree, however, I whispered, "αντίστροφο."

I smiled grimly. If I won the challenge, I had to remember to let Haden out of the tree or else, we would end up having a very long chat about leaving siblings locked in a tree.

Retrieving my bow from the ground, I once again set off at a steady jog through the forest. It was beginning to lighten now, the eerie gloominess of the forest slowly turning into a bright and sunny environment.

I stayed in the uncharted territory of the forest, relying on my sixth sense to help me retrieve the flag safely. The day was turning out to be a humid one and soon, sweat dotted my brow adding to the already high pile of nerves I had. However, as I ran through the forest, I didn't come across anyone who threatened me. On more the one occasion, a loud, triumphant yell would echo through the forest usually followed by a high pitched, girly scream that could only be my brother. It took all my will power not to leave the path and aid him but I managed to keep my goal in mind.

I would obtain the flag and _then _help my brother kick whoever's ass tried to hurt him. I allowed a small grin. I liked that plan.

I had been running for at least half an hour when I realised something wasn't right. The forest was quiet, the silence pressing down upon me. I should've been able to hear something, anything but I couldn't. The other clue was that the tree's were thinning, marking the end of the forest.

I slowed to a walk, pausing warily every now and then when a twig snapped or the breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees. I froze as I saw a dot of vibrant orange only ten metres in front of me, swaying slightly in the breeze. All breath left me.

It was too good to be true. The flags were just _there, _completely left out in the open. I vaguely realised that my siblings would never leave their treasure unprotected but, at that moment, I was completely overtaken by excitement.

I sprinted towards the flag, closing the distance between myself and it quickly. I could practically feel it in my hands, my mind focused only on the tiny wavering flag perhaps a metre in front of me.

However, before my hands could reach the tiny prize, a very large, very _alive _object knocked into me, barrelling me over. A sense of déjà vu swept over me and, for a brief second, I thought that Haden had somehow managed to escape the tree prison. However, when I looked up into the eyes of my captor, I didn't see Haden's dark, alluring ones but the mischievous, emerald eyes of Henri. This close to him, I could see every detail of his face and every eyelash, his scent washing over me. It overwhelmed me.

He grinned. "Hello Archer."

Abruptly, it suddenly _under_whelmed me. Roughly pushing him off me, I turned over, straddling him in a very suggestive position. I lowered myself closer to him, hissing in his ear, "Don't call me that."

The flag momentarily forgotten, he rolled on top of me once more, still grinning that infuriating grin. "Why not? It suits you, _Archer._"

I shoved him off me once again, rolling on top of him. I felt like I was playing in a wrestling match. "Because it hits to close to the truth," I cocked my head to the side, "Get that?"

We had reached the edge of the hill, the lake shimmering like crystals below us, the sun reflecting off of it. He leaned in close, his breath grazing my ear as he whispered, "Crystal."

I suddenly realised just how much of an invasion of personal space this was. My legs were wrapped around his thighs for the Gods sakes!

I shoved him roughly down onto the dirt again, my hands feeling the way his muscles rippled underneath his skin. I winced. My thoughts were getting dangerously close to forbidden territory.

Suddenly, I could feel Henri's hands grip my arms. M eyes widen slightly as he rolls us off the hill.

I shrieked, clutching onto Henri tightly as the world blends together, my sense of gravity disappearing. Stray pieces of twigs and leaves clung to our bodies as we gained speed, rolling over and over again as we sped towards the lake. I let out another shriek, drowning out the sound of Henri's laughter. I cut it off with a growl.

I couldn't _believe _he would find rolling towards a lake _funny._

My thoughts were interrupted as we crashed into the lake, water splashing through the air. I squeezed my eyes shut, ripping myself away from Henri as I waved my arms uselessly in the water, trying desperately to break the surface. The pressure of the water was beginning to get to my chest, my lungs screaming as I ached for a breath.

However, no matter what I did, I kept on sinking, the dark water closing in around me. Numbly, I forced my fingers to reach behind my back for the clasps of my bronze chest plate, fumbling to unclasp them. I could feel the world going black around me, my numb fingers falling to my sides uselessly.

I had always thought I would die fighting, however, if I had to choose another way to die, the same way the only motherly figure in my life went seemed like a pretty good way to go.

I had completely given up when I felt warm hands grip my arms, heaving me through the water. Fingers fumbled for the clasps of my chest plate, unclasping it. I barely realised when it fell off me, sinking towards the depths of the lake.

As my head broke the surface, I almost immediately gasped for air. My lungs felt like they were on fire and, despite the heaving gulps of air I took, the pain didn't die. Someone heaved me onto dry land, yelling my name.

Warily, I opened my eyes to meet Henri's much panicked looking ones. His lips were moving but I couldn't make out what he was saying. There was a strange buzzing sound in my ears, as if hornets had decided to nest in my head.

Slowly, however, I began to make out his words. "Mia! Look at me! For the Gods sakes, that is the _last _time I'm going to save you from yourself! Do you enjoy putting yourself into life threatening situations? Do you!"

I blinked sluggishly. That was when I realised what I was wearing.

When Henri had unclasped my bronze chest plate, he had taken off the only thing covering my black sports bra. I also realised that his chest plate was also mysteriously absent, his well defined abbs almost screaming at someone to look at them.

I averted my eyes. He was well to close to me for my liking.

Slowly, I straightened, testing my strength as Henri rose beside me. The burning pressure on my lungs had worn off and, though they were tired, my limbs could still take the pressure.

Slowly, but surely, a plan began to form in my mind. I suppressed a grin. This was going to be brilliant.

I reached for Henri's shoulders, cutting him off mid rant as I steadied myself. As soon as I was in a good enough position, I met Henri's eyes, grinning.

Then I kicked him between the legs.

As he doubled over, I sprinted up the hill, letting my laughter rain down upon the hill. Just behind me, I could hear Henri yell, "This is that thanks I get for saving your life!"

But it was full of humour.

I made it over the hill with minimal energy, the small orange flag once again in sight. I vaguely realised that there was only three left instead of the original five but I found that unimportant. I sprinted for the flag, wiping a hand across my forehead in attempt to wipe the sweat off.

I was barely inch away when, once again, someone hurtled into me, pushing me to the ground. I resisted the urge to sigh. This was becoming a regular thing for me.

I once again found Henri's emerald eyes sparkling at me but, instead of him sitting on top of me, he was holding both my legs.

I froze. I knew exactly what he was going to do.

I struggled to get my legs out of his grip as he began to drag me away from the flags, my arms and legs flailing. Sharp twigs and stones scrapped at my back and I was pretty sure that I was going to wake up the next day with enough bruises to last me a lifetime.

By the time my flailing legs finally became too difficult to handle for Henri, the flags had disappeared from sight.

I pounced to my feet before Henri could even blink, a low growl escaping my throat. Henri, however, just stood there lazily, smirking.

I pivoted, ready to dash for the flags again but a hand pulled me back. Turning to face Henri, I flung my leg out, coming into contact with his chest.

Still smirking, however, he responded with moves I never knew he could do. I soon found myself constantly on the defence, blocking and dodging before he could land a hand on me. I was barely able to land a few blows myself before I was put on the defence again.

I saw moves I had never seen before then. We fought hand to hand as our weapons had been lost in the lake, our bodies soon bloodied and sore. Sweat began to form on both our brows, coating us in the slick oily liquid. However, I fought with a passion letting it burn through me. For a brief few moments, I had Henri on the defensive, cornering him slowly into a large oak. As his back banged into the trunk, he did something I didn't expect.

Ducking underneath a blow, he grabbed my waist, reversing my position until I was the one pressed against the tree, him the one holding me there.

His entire body was pressed against mine, his hands holding my arms at my sides, successfully trapping me against the tree. We were breathing heavily; sweat dripping from every available surface but neither of us felt compelled to move. I could feel every inch of his body, his stomach against mine, the muscles that rippled through is skin.

I was very aware of how close we were to each other, our faces inches away from each other. His hot breath tickled my cheek as he panted, his eyes drinking in the sight of my face. I could also feel his heart beat through his chest; his heart was racing just as fast as mine.

When his lips covered mine, I didn't even try to stop him. Something took over me, something that was sure as hell not Artemis. My eyes slipped closed as his hands trailed to the small of my back pulling me closer. My mouth parted as his tongue tauntingly swept over my lips, beginning to explore his mouth with just as much passion he was with me. My hands snaked up his back, grabbing fistfuls of his hair, letting my hands run through is soft hair.

Just kissing him was making me light headed. I had once sworn never to let a guy kiss me yet here I was, welcoming it.

Roughly, he pushed me against the tree, his lips attacking me with renewed vigour. One hand still in his hair and another up against his abbs, I wrapped a leg around his waist then the other, totally replying on him for support.

Heat was beginning to pool in the pit of my stomach. Henri's lips moved down, creating trails of fire along the base of my neck before lightly nipping the skin at my collarbone. I gasped, resting my head against the bark of the tree, letting him take control.

I actually didn't mind this. I had no idea what I was thinking when I had made that promise. Only the Gods know what Artemis missed out on.

My eyes whipped open.

Artemis.

With a hiss, I unwrapped my legs from around him, roughly pushing him away. Henri released me with a sound that strangely resembled a wounded dog. I put one hand against the trunk as he watched me with concerned eyes, attempting to catch my breath. I wanted nothing more than to just pick up where we left off but I couldn't.

I was the Maiden Goddess, Artemis. I didn't do those things.

"Mia?" Henri asked, worried, "Did I go to fast? I'm sorry if I di-"

"It wasn't that, Henri," I said. Suddenly I felt very tired.

He knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "Then what was it?"

"I'm a Maiden Goddess, Henri," I whispered, looking up at him, "Do you know what that means?"

His face hardened, all emotions hidden behind a mask. "You're not."

I blinked. "What?'

"You're not a Maiden Goddess, Mia. You're a girl who just happens to be like one. You don't need to follow a promise someone else made," he snapped.

"You don't understand, Henri," my hissed, "I _am _her. I _need _to keep this promise."

He shook his head. "So was it Artemis who came into mine and Alex's room when she was thirteen because she had a nightmare? Is it Artemis that heats her milk up before she eats her cereal?"

"No."

"Then you're not her!"

I gazed up at his eyes, drinking in the sight of the frustrated, angry mask. I sighed. "Give it up, Henri." I said coldly.

Pushing past him, I stalked off into the forest, ignoring his pleas for me to come back. I was right and I knew it.

I was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Forest and Moon. I wasn't going to give up that status just for a boy, no matter how much I wanted him.

I had made my decision.

* * *

><p><strong>How'd you like it? This is NOT a romance story but romance is a minor quality. I wrote 12 pages so I really hope you like it :-D<strong>

**Please rate and review, guys! It will make me write MUCH more faster ;) Thanks for reading**

**Just to let you know, here is the meanings of the greek words I used in this chapter!**

**αντίστροφο - Reverse**

**αποκαλύψει - Unveil **

**πυρκαγιά - Fire**


	16. Blaming the Gods

**Yeah! I've updated again! Alrighty, I've made an effort on making the chapters longer so that, instead of seven pages, I will write eight of nine.**

**So, enough talking, enjoy the story! :-D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

When I was young, I remembered reading thousands of teen romance novels, devouring one after the other. The main characters used to always say that, after a particularly passionate and heated snog, they would feel complete and full of life and vibrancy.

They were wrong. I, after my first kiss, wasn't feeling bubbly or excited or in awe. No. I just felt damn outraged and more than a little murderous.

I crashed through the forest, flicking stray twigs and branches out of my way. Truthfully, Henri hadn't dragged me that far from the flags during our fight. In fact, I had barely gone a few metres before a neon speck of orange could be seen wavering between the trees.

Anna was standing besides the flags, a clipboard in hand. Her eyes met mine briefly before returning to scribble something into the clipboard, her expression cold and blank.

I strode past her, snatching one of the neon orange flags from the ground and tossing it towards Anna with enough force to crack a jaw.

Surprise flashed across Anna's features as she deftly caught the flag one handed, opening her mouth. I abruptly shut it with a venomous glare, daring her to speak.

She had the sense to raise a slender eyebrow, smirking faintly, before glancing back at the clipboard, not saying a word.

That was why Anna was my favourite sister. She didn't ask questions. Ever.

I stormed downhill, kicking the grass up with my feet. I didn't really have any reason to explain my actions. A haze of anger was pulsing through my veins, almost controlling my actions for me.

I slammed the door open, charging down the hall. I could hear muffled shouts that sounded suspiciously like Helena. More than quite a few times, I thought I could make out the word 'Po.'

I took a sharp turn into the kitchen, taking in the scene of Helena yelling at Po, who stood at the fridge guiltily, and Phe filing her nails at the kitchen table, her foot jiggling to an unknown rhythm, in an instant.

"For the last time, Po! I said no snacking! Lunch will be ready soon!" Helena screamed at Po, waving a kitchen knife threateningly in the air as I slid into the seat across from Phe. She glanced up briefly from her immaculate nails to wink at me, a smirk playing at her lips. I had a feeling she knew exactly what had just happened to me.

Bloody Goddess of Love.

Po, face pulled in a sulk, heaved himself onto the counter, earning himself a pointed glare from Helena. I watched, a smile at my lips and all previous emotions forgotten, as Helena placed the knife, carefully and deliberately, onto the counter, smirking as she watched Po wince. She turned to face with me. "Did you get the flag, Mia?"

I nodded, once again moody. "Yep."

She rose an eyebrow but let it go, instead opting to grab a few spices from the cupboard. A heavy silence fell upon us, only broken by the occasional scrape of Phe's file and the chop of Helena's knife. The silence allowed my brain to wander, my mind reliving the last hour over and over again. I hated it.

"So," I began, halting the process of Helena's knife, "Who still has to return?"

"Alex, Aaron and Hephaestus have yet to return," she replied, resuming chopping, "We don't know where Haden is, though. He should be back by now."

I winced. I had completely forgotten that I had left Haden locked up in a tree, believe it or not. I would have to take care of that soon.

Heavy footfalls alerted me to the presence of another person. I stiffened as I saw who exactly it was as he sat beside Phe, his eyes immediately zoning in on me.

I averted my gaze from Henri, a blush creeping up my cheeks. Almost immediately, a flush of rage replaced the one of embarrassment. I did not get embarrassed.

I had never had a reason to before now and, even now, would I never show embarrassment especially when a boy merely _looked _at me. That, by my standards, was _low. _Very, very low.

I ignored Henri's obvious attempts at catching my eye, instead casting my eyes everywhere but him. I was watching Po attempting to sneakily creep to the door of the refrigerator when Phe spoke, "So, Henri, were you against Mia?"

He nodded, his gaze never wavering from me, "Yeah."

Phe, however, intended to ignore the subtle rejection of conversation. "What happened? Give me all the details."

He broke his gaze, running a hand through his already dishevelled hair nervously. "Yeah, well," he began, "We, uh, fought and then I, um, pushed her into the lake and, uh, we, uh, fought some more and then, uh..."

Phe nodded, urging him to continue. I was barely aware the Helena wasn't chopping anymore and was, most likely listening in on the conversation.

"Go on." Phe urged.

Henri's eyes nervously flitted to me before he began again. "Well, uh, we fought and, uh, we, kinda, well, there was a tree..." he trailed off, unsure whether to continue.

"There was a tree?"

"Yeah..."

Phe gazed at him in confusion, analysing his every movement before switching her gaze to me. I looked everywhere but at her as she sat there, still as a statue, watching my every movement.

It seemed like a lifetime before realisation dawned on her face. A beatific grin spread across her face and she clapped her hands together, letting out a squeal.

"Oh my gods," she squealed, "You guys ki-"

Plastering a determined look onto my face, I aimed a hard kick into Phe's shin, successfully cutting her off. She let out a strangled yelp and banged her head into the table, muttering, "You're so bloody violent."

I smiled innocently at Henri's questioning look before averting my gaze back to the table. However, my victory was short lived for, as soon as I let the triumph sink in, a loud _thump! _followed by a screeched, "I said NO SNACKING!" sounded through the kitchen.

I snapped my head up, zoning in on Helena glaring poisonously at Po who was, wide eyed, standing by the open refrigerator door, a vibrating kitchen knife embedded into the wall above his head.

He opened his mouth but it seemed that, for once, he was truly speechless. It probably was for a good reason.

I stood up, scraping my chair along the ground while all eyes found me. I needed to get out of the tension filled room. "I'm going for a walk." I declared.

Henri stood up from across from me, his eyes following me. "I'll go with you."

I narrowed my gaze, pouring every ounce of venom into it. "No, you will sit down and not _go with me_," I hissed.

Almost immediately, he sat down.

Giving Henri a final glare, I stalked out of the room. I needed some time to think.

* * *

><p>I had decided that thinking was overrated.<p>

When growing up in the Lewis household, there was a rule that, if anyone got angry, they would take a walk before going to confront whoever was the cause of their anger. It was meant to be a way to calm us down, especially with our ADHD and Anger issues. However, now, we knew well enough that there were perfectly reasonable explanations for these issues.

It would probably be a good time to realise that calming walks never worked.

If anything, allowing you more time to think it over allowed more time to relive the experience which makes you even more upset.

Like now.

I had past Anna by the top of the hill, one flag now decorating its summit, and had dived deep into the forest, ignoring the highly girlish screams of my brother soon followed by the highly entertained laugh of Aaron.

I had past the point of which I knew where I was going. The forest was quickly darkening around me into an eerie twilight, the canopy of leaves blocking out all sunlight. Stories I was told as a child came back to me.

Uncle Carl used to tell us tales of mystical, evil monsters at a campfire during Halloween. His favourites involved werewolves, vampires and other creatures that dwelled in the shadows. However, I now knew that there was also a reasonable explanation for those creatures, as well, if Anna's theory of all mythical creatures of the night really were just reincarnated Greek mythical beasts was correct.

I scowled, kicking at savagely at the dirt with the tip of my boot. It had taken me a while but I realised that the real reason I was angry wasn't because of Henri but because of the last few weeks.

I had enjoyed being a normal girl. Despite putting up with total loser cheerleaders and their plastic, Barbie followers, I loved being able to just walk outside and not having to cast my eyes out for anyone that might see me use my powers.

Discovering that I was a Greek God ruined nearly everything for me. Childhood memories were torn away when I discovered that most of them were actually my sub-conscious merely replacing the real ones because they were apparently too hard for me to handle. Merely practicing my archery or running was ruined for me now that I knew it was never my own talent that shined through. It was my otherworldly powers.

I was told everyday now that I was _special. _Yeah, well, being _special _wasn't all it turned out to be. I sure as Hades never expected that it would involve blood getting onto my clothes because I _accidentally _bumped into a stray mythical beast.

I looked up briefly to realise that the tree I had locked Haden into was close by. Not changing my pace, I strode past the tree, my hand darting out to touch its bark as I muttered quickly, "ελευθέρωση."

I had already past it when I heard a strangled yelp followed by a loud _crash! _

I smirked. Looked like Haden's landing wasn't very smooth.

I suddenly felt a lot better after that little release of anger. I wouldn't say I was walking with a skip in my step but I certainly wasn't taking out my anger on some very unfortunate daisies. The sun was casting rays of different hues of pink, orange and purple by the time I reached the edge of the forest yet I still felt no inclination of going home.

Instead, I perched myself on a large rock by the edge, watching a few cars rumble down the road. A few, large Victorian farm houses were spaced evenly along the side of the road. One, however, caught my eye.

I didn't really know why it caught my eye. It was just like the others with its potted petunias by the eaves and pale yellow trimming. The only clue that anyone besides one of those picture perfect, wholesome families lived there was the loud, obnoxious music blaring out of the upstairs window, curtains drawn.

A boy was wandering up the side of the road, his white button shirt and faded jeans that fit his body _perfectly _immediately alerting to me to what Phe would call a _hottie. _I watched him curiously a he sauntered up the road, the sun reflecting off his silky golden hair.

It was only when he walked right past my hiding spot did I get one of the shocks of my life.

The hottie was Eric.

My eyes widened in surprise as I momentarily lost balance on my rock.

He walked up the path of the house with the yellow trimming, glancing briefly at the second story window in exasperation. I watched him reach the front door and dive his hand into his pocket, obviously searching for something.

He did this for quite some time until, increasingly frustrated, he stomped to the front of the house, turning to the second story window.

"Percy!" he yelled, cupping on hand to the side of his mouth, "Percy!"

He waited for a few moments and, when the music didn't stop, he bent, snatching a rather large stone from the ground and threw it at the window.

I couldn't hide my grin when the stone sailed through the air, crashing into the window and creating a rather nice sized hole in the window. In the direction of the room, a rather colourful string of swear words could be heard. If I wasn't certain that they weren't, I would've almost said that the swear words were in Ancient Greek.

The window slid up and a messy, brown haired head stuck out of the window. He was fairly hot with what you might call his surfer dude looks. Deep, chocolate hair stuck everywhere on his head, refusing to lay flat. He was fairly tanned, a light spattering of freckles dotted right underneath his emerald green eyes.

His face was pulled into pout when he called down to Eric, "Dude, you just threw a rock into my bedroom!"

Eric sighed. "Percy, by the Gods, get over it, mate. Now, where's my key?"

Percy chose to ignore this. "Get over it? There is a _bloody hole _in my window. Ace is gonna kill me!"

"Percy," Eric warned.

Percy sighed, his head drooping. "I may or may not have accidentally fed it to the hydra."

Silence. For a strange, awkward moment, Eric stared up at a suddenly innocent looking Percy in horror.

I, however, frowned. Maybe, I had stumbled across a family of video game freaks since the possibility of him _actually _feeding Eric's keys to an actual Hydra was slim. I mean, they didn't exist.

Right? There _were_ technically Greek Monsters but... No. They did not exist and that was that.

Eric blinked. Once. Twice. Then, "You fed it to the what!"

"The Hydra?"

Eric's shoulder slumped. "This is the third time this week!"

Percy stuck his hands out the window in defeat. "Well, that thing has so many heads that it just kinda sneaks up on you!"

Eric sighed. "Right, mate. Sure. How am I going to get in?"

He shrugged. "Beats me. Climb through the window?"

If possible, Eric's shoulders slumped even lower in defeat. "Fine," he muttered, "Next time, though, I keep the keys. And this stays between us, ok? We don't want Heath or Ace finding out that you've been visiting camp without their permission."

Shrugging, Percy ducked his head underneath the windowsill, successfully disappearing from sight, a very disgruntled Eric beginning to climb onto the roof.

It was around then that I decided it would be a good time to go home. Though the walk had cleared my head with certain problems, my life was far from being fully solved despite the five hour walk I had just taken not counting the hour and a half it would take to get back.

I left my make shift chair, running a hand through my hair. I wanted nothing more than to not go home. Just the _thought _of seeing Henri caused a bubble of dread to expand within me.

"Demi-godssssss..."

I froze.

Letting instinct take over, I dropped to the ground, barely thinking when my bow formed in my hand, a leather sachet of arrows appearing at my belt. My eyes darted everywhere, my senses on high alert.

I had no idea what I was looking for. Hades, I had no idea what I had actually _heard. _

Leaves rustled to my left and I pivoted, nocking an arrow so fast that my hand was nothing but a blur. I had just trained the arrow onto a rather dense crowd of bushes when _it _emerged.

A Drakaina.

My heart stopped beating, a sense of coldness washing over me. I had read about them with Anna. In fact, I had read about _all _the Greek Monsters when I found out who I was in case I ever had the misfortune of ever coming across one but that was all it was to me. Study.

I never thought, once, that I would actually come across one.

The Drakaina was a women and a beautiful one at that. Long, silky strands of midnight hair, so black that it looked purple, ran like water down to her waist. A one shoulder, scrap of dark green silk covered her chest, leaving her sun kissed waist bear. However, that was where the beauty ended. Beginning almost seamlessly at her upper waist were dark green, slimy scales. They ran down the length of her body, splitting into two at her knees so that they created two, separate snake tails. She grinned, revealing row after row of sharp, jagged teeth sharpened to a tip and poked her forked tongue out, tasting the air.

A small, serrated dagger was held daintily in her hand, hanging almost relaxed by her side. It glinted dangerously in the quickly fading light.

"Demi-godsssssss," she hissed, "I thought I ssssmelt demi-godsssss but I was wrong. I've come acrosssss something much more ssssweet then demi-godsssss."

Warily, I kept my aim on her watching her every move, however slight, as she slithered around me, circling me slowly. "What do you want?" I asked, keeping my face neutral.

She shrugged. "_They _told me to kill the Demi-godsssss. I had no complaint. They are nothing but ssscum on the ground."

"What Demi-gods?" I asked, pivoting to always face her. I needed to keep her talking until I came up with a plan.

An amused expression danced across her face. "You don't know? They've been watching you, protecting you from ussssss, yet you have no idea. The Masters will be pleased to hear thissss."

An alarm sounded in my head. Demi-gods? Who? Maybe there was a possibility I knew one of them yet didn't know their true identity. However, before I had a chance to think about this more, another problem presented itself.

This... _thing _had Masters and, from what I could tell, they were after us.

"Who are your Masters?"

She hissed, her eyes glinting dangerously. Immediately, I was afraid I said something wrong.

"Enough talk," she snapped, brandishing her small dagger, "Come and meet your fate."

So much for a plan.

She lunged, a hiss grumbling through her throat. I dodged neatly, pivoting to face the snake-woman again. I released an arrow before she could turn around but she flicked it aside with ease using her tail.

I growled. Couldn't monsters ever be nice and actually _let _me win. I nocked two arrows in one go, sending the two zooming towards her as she once again lunged towards me. She flicked them away and, before I could blink, she shoved my bow away with her hand. A hiss of air escaped me as she knocked me to the ground.

Grabbing fistfuls of her hair, I banged my head against hers, pushing her off and scrambling into a crouch, ignoring the sudden throbbing in my head.

Hades, did she look _mad. _Letting out a noise that seemed like a strange combination of a hiss and a scream, she flung her dagger at me.

Time froze.

I could see every detail in the snake-woman's face, every line of rage, every dark eyelash by her eye. The dagger was flying slowly towards me, twirling in the air. I could tell that it was flying straight and true and that, if I didn't move quickly, it would hit me with deadly accuracy above my heart.

But I didn't move.

I let Artemis take over, allowing her brief control of my limbs and reflexes. With her presence came the almost overwhelming sense of ancient, incredible power.

The dagger was only mere inches from my chest by then, still twirling, but I didn't move. Instead, I allowed myself to do something that I never would've thought possible.

I caught it.

There I was, standing in the same place I had been a few seconds before, holding a slightly quivering dagger a few centimetres from my heart and it felt _good. _I felt powerful, invincible.

Immortal.

Not even taking time to let the snake-woman's reaction to sink in, I flung the dagger at the snake-woman.

She had no time to dodge, no time to even contemplate catching it and no time to think of anything besides staring at the dagger in horror. It seemed that one moment, the dagger was in my hand and, the next, it was embedded deeply in the throat of the snake-woman.

I smirked, taking great satisfaction as thick, black blood, like oil, poured from her wound, staining her skin. Her eyes found mine a final time before they glazed over and she dropped to the earth like a dead weight.

Before I could take a step, her body began to crumble, her skin paling to a ashen grey before scattering, the dust and ashes that were once her body flying away in the wind. Her dagger clattered to the ground.

I gazed at it for a moment, letting the past event run through my mind. I had just _killed _someone, I realised with dread. It didn't matter that she was a monster and had no right to live in this world, I had still killed her.

But that wasn't what scared me.

What scared me was that I had killed someone and I had felt nothing. No dread. No guilt. No remorse.

Nothing but a savage satisfaction while watching her own blood seep into her skin, her life vanishing before my eyes.

What had I become?

I suddenly felt very tired. Ignoring the pile of grey ash that had sunken into the forest floor, I collected my bow from where it laid a few metres away from me.

To Hades with my problems, I needed to tell Zach about what I had just heard. Not only were there Demi-gods protecting us without our knowledge, but we had also seemed to have people who wanted nothing more than to have our blood pooling at their feet.

Maybe these were the people that had been the cause of our 'death' and rebirth. Maybe they had finally realised that we had been reincarnated and now had it out for us.

Goody. Not even our first month at being Gods and we already had Arch-enemies.

I swear on the River Styx that nothing would surprise me after this.

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><p><strong>So whatcha think? I need your opinion everyone! Can you guess who Percy really is?<strong>

**A little teaser is that another god plus a new demi-god will appear. Stay tuned kiddies 3**


	17. Hearth

**Okey Dokey, this chapter is a little bit shorter then previous but don't let that stop you from reading!**

**Read on kiddies and PLEASE enjoy :-D**

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><p>Chapter 16<p>

I was well and truly embarrassed.

Though no one was around to witness my incredible humiliation, I still couldn't help as to feel that the Fates were laughing at me. After all, despite knowing the forest my entire my life and being the Goddess of all Forests, I had still managed to get myself lost.

Brilliant.

My thoughts had been so taken up by the mere idea of Demi-gods living near us that, by the time I had realised where I was, I was already far away from any average civilisation. Unknowingly, I had added an extra thirty minutes, perhaps an hour, on my supposed relaxing stroll. However, this stroll had been far from relaxing after encountering a Drakaina, watching Eric and his brother talk about a Hydra video game and coming to a realisation that I well and truly hated being a god.

That coupled with the fact that I was now _lost _in my own forest_, _my mood had amazingly soured past the point of my normal mood.

This was just not my day.

I cast my eyes around the inky darkness of the forest, squinting my eyes for any signs of a landmark that I might've been able to recognize. The sun had finally sunk below the horizon, casting the atmosphere into twilight. This did not help my search for a way back home.

The worst case scenario would be that I would have to call Henri to take me back home and _that _would be the most humiliating thing to be forced to endure.

A speck of light caught my attention maybe a hundred metres away. It was in the general direction that I hoped the house would be, the light wavering every few moments, the shadows around it constantly changing.

I had no clue why a light this unique would be lit at this time of night. Perhaps my siblings had sent out a search party for me but I highly doubted that. They trusted me enough to make my own way back through the forest and to not get lost.

I wish I could say the same for myself.

A sudden thought ran through my mind. There was a possibility, a slim one but still a possibility, that whoever or whatever was the cause of that light, wouldn't be entirely too friendly.

A frown sliding onto my lips, I barely noticed as I felt the smooth texture of my bow appear in my hand, the satchel of arrows once again at my waist. I briefly considered conjuring my scimitars but decided against it. I would rather take out the threat, if there was one, from a distance without getting my hands dirty. I was still sore from my little scuff with the Drakaina.

I nocked an arrow carefully, approaching the light carefully. I kept to the shadows, my feet barely making noise on the twigs and dry leaves that littered ground. I scanned the area around me warily, attempting to take in everything at once.

There was only perhaps ten metres between me and the light when I finally realized what it was. A fire.

The flames flickered and wavered, casting an eerie glow over the surrounding forest, the shadows constantly changing. They licked their way through the air, the occasional spark dancing through the flames. It was fairly large and obviously had been created very recently.

I could feel the blazing heat of the fire as I dashed to a tree only a few feet from it, ducking down behind, pulling my bow string taut.

I leaned to the side, peering over the edge of the tree to obtain a better look of the fire. An electric feeling of shock ran through me as I found a girl sitting by the fire, her back turned to me.

She almost blended in with the fire, explaining why I wasn't able to see her before. Sandy coloured hair ran down her back, not a single strand out of place. She was gently tending to the fire with a stick, moving the oversized branches and twigs to allow the flames more room. She seemed totally unfazed by the almost terrible heat, not a single bead of sweat running down her skin when I already had a thin coat of perspiration on my forehead.

"I will admit that stealth always has been one of your strong points, Artemis, but it's almost sad that you haven't realised that I can see your reflection in the hearth."

I flinched as she spoke, taking in her words with fear. She knew who I was, who I _really _was. I stood fluidly, emerging from my place behind the tree and, arrow pointed directly at the girl, circled around the fire to view her from the front.

Her head was bent, her face hidden by the glow of the fire. Despite the cold weather, she was wearing nothing but a thin, white cotton summer dress. I frowned. She felt vaguely familiar.

"Who are you?" I commanded.

The girl's shoulders shook with barely concealed laughter. She couldn't be older than twenty, her body small and lithe, at its prime. "Honestly, Artemis, the fact that you don't recognize me is, once again, frankly sad."

She raised her head, revealing a smile dancing across her lips. She was absolutely gorgeous, in a cute way, a light spattering of freckles decorating her nose and cheeks. She had a heart shaped face, her lips red and plump. However, it was her eyes that drew my attention.

Instead of any average colour, the irises were a glittering, shimmering shade of gold, as if someone had replaced her eyes with solid gold discs.

Before I could utter a single word, pain flashed across my mind, alerting me to another memory.

_They were bickering again._

_The past few days had been spent inside the Great Hall after my dear Father called another one of his dreadful council meetings. So far, the meeting had been spent watching Zeus, Poseidon and Hades bicker with an uncontrollable amount of rage. The argument was meaningless to most in the room besides them as most of us were staring at the fight in disinterest or lightly dozing off in our thrones. I, however, remained vigilant, finding my source of amusement and current cure of boredom in watching Hermes attempt to prank Aphrodite and Ares as they gazed at each other with unconcealed lust._

_But this too soon grew dull and reverted to watching Hestia tend to her hearth at the centre of the room. Though she was often the one who never grew annoyed or bothered by anything, even she seemed affected by the constant squabbling. She was stabbing at the hearth slightly more viciously than usual, her lips tipped downwards into a frown._

_I smiled faintly. When Hestia grew annoyed, it was often of one's best interests to leave the room. Though rarely, when Hestia decided to take out her anger, it was often explosive._

_I relaxed back into my chair, watching Hestia's face as the argument grew louder. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she thrust her stick into the hearth. Suddenly, the flames let out a roar, jumping and dancing to twice their normal size, filling the room with its unbearable heat and light. As Zeus, Poseidon and Hades finally shut their mouths, the flames decreased into their average size, Hestia tending to them as if nothing had happened._

_However, I did notice that she wasn't as cruel as she tended to the flames, a faint smile even gracing her lips._

My eyes flew open with a gasp, instantly zoning in on the girl in front of me. Everything made sense now. "Hestia," I whispered.

She smiled gently. "Mortals call me Heather but yes, you may call me Hestia."

I lowered my bow in shock.

It was hard enough to come to a realisation that Demi-gods might be out there somewhere but to think that other _gods _were out there was almost too much to handle.

"B-b-but..."

"How?" she finished, raising an eyebrow, "I only found out about my heavenly status last year. It was my first year of College and, ironically enough, I met two boys during a Greek Mythology class. They took me aside and told me that their names were Heracles and Achilles and that they were reincarnations of the Greek Demi-gods that shared their names. They said that I was the reincarnation of the Goddess, Hestia, and that they had been stationed by me to protect me while I was still in my vulnerable, mortal state."

She chuckled lightly. "I obviously didn't believe them, even going as far as punching Achilles in the stomach. But they kept following me, begging me to believe them. They would still be if I didn't accidentally stumble upon a Drakaina during a morning run. After that I was much more inclined to believe them."

"What happened then?" I asked, lowering myself onto the ground, my eyes never leaving hers.

"They took me to camp, intending to teach me more of my powers and namesake. They said that, while I was at camp, I would be safe."

"From what?" I interrupted.

She shrugged. "I'm not very sure myself. They refuse to tell me anything that might actually clue me into what is going with our world at the moment. You have no idea how much it took to even discover that the reincarnations of the twelve Olympians had been discovered."

My eyes never left her. It was just too amazing for words. Here, only a few feet in front of me, sat a girl who could possibly be the answer we needed. Another thought hit me.

"Why are you here?"

She knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. "To tend to the hearth?"

I shook my head, smiling. "No, why are you here as in, why are you in our forest?"

She grinned, lighting up her whole face. "Why, Artemis, you and your siblings are always a source of humour for me. Back at camp, I'm basically on house arrest and Eros and Achilles are barely what you might call satisfactory company. Achilles' emotions are either a slight variation of sarcasm or disappointment and he is only always seen at the training ring. Eros, however, is constantly moping. I swear to the Gods, that I would bring back Psyche myself just to be rid of his constant whining. At least he's off on his own mission. I can hardly complain about being rid of his for a few weeks."

I nodded in respect. "So you're basically breaking the rules by being here."

Hestia winked playfully, "Pretty much. Besides, I find it my own personal mission to make Achilles' life a personal hell."

I snorted. I found that I increasingly liked Hestia. I knew that I should be more wary with her but I felt as if I could trust her despite the fact I had only met her a few moments ago.

"Hestia?" I asked innocently, watching as suspicion filled her face, "You said that Achilles and Heracles were stationed near you to protect you. Do you know if there are any Demi-gods positioned near us?"

A flash of uncertainty flashed across Hestia's face, unrecognisable emotions clouding her features. "Well, uh," she began, "I'm not meant to te-"

"Heather Jones!"

I flinched as the shout echoed through the forest. Hestia, almost looking thankful for the interruption, sighed. "I guess Achilles has finally found me," she looked at me, "If you had any sense, you'd hide. I wasn't meant to make contact with any of you."

Nodding, I searched quickly for the tallest tree I could find. I chose the tree directly behind me, gracefully leaping onto the lowest branch before twisting and turning, leaping higher with each bound. It was relatively easy as I perched on a sturdy branch, hidden behind a canopy of leaves. I still had a reasonable view of Hestia and her fire, watching her tend to it as if she wasn't talking to me a few moments ago.

I had only just successfully hidden myself from view when _he _entered.

Achilles.

He was everything you might expect and more. The very way he moved could clue you in that he wasn't what you might call _normal._ It was graceful and fluid, predatory almost. He basically screamed 'Danger! Get away!'

He was wearing the typical Greek armour, though it was grey unlike the bronze my siblings and I wore. The armour looked worn and well used yet it still shone as though it welcomed the thought of battle. His muscles were evident even through the armour and you could tell instantly that he, unlike men nowadays, didn't get them from steroids but from days of hard work.

With his shoulder length blonde hair and youthful looks, he looked no older then mid-twenties. However, his grey stormy eyes held a vast, ancient knowledge no one his age should have, seemingly sucking away the youth in his face. They darted everywhere, full of mistrust and suspicion while his body remained tense as if prepared for anything.

Straight away, I knew this was a guy I never wanted to be in a fight with.

His eyes immediately found Hestia, rage filling his features. "Jones!" he snapped, "What do you think you're doing?"

Hestia remained totally unaffected by being the source of his rage. "What does it look like, Achilles. I'm tending to the Hearth. It's my job."

He strode opposite the fire, turning to face Hestia. He was almost directly below me. "You have a Hearth to tend to at camp!"

She shrugged. "I might but it doesn't mean I prefer it."

Achilles growled. "I swear to the Gods that you will be the death of me, Hestia."

"Let's not get to optimistic now, shall we?" she muttered.

Achilles gave her a withering look. "You know the dangers of being outside the camp alone. What if the Minotaur finds you again? How would you defend yourself?"

So quickly, I almost missed it, Hestia rose, static crackling around her. The air was filled with her vast ancient power yet Achilles watched her as if she was just performing another mortal magic trick. "I may not have unlocked my entire power," she hissed, "but it will do you well to remember that, even in this weakened state, I am more powerful than a mere Demi-god. I am a god, Achilles. I do not need to be babysat by children."

Achilles seemed totally unfazed by this. "I see you believe this strongly, however, would you still believe it strongly when you're at the mercy of a beast you are unable to defeat? Go home, Hestia."

Scowling, Hestia stepped into the centre of the fire, the flames licking at her skin. The fire didn't seem to affect her as if they were not blistering flames that were capable of reducing mortals to ash. Giving a final glare to Achilles, the flames rose to double their height, eradicating Hestia from view. When they regained their average height, Hestia was gone.

For a few moments, Achilles merely stared at the place Hestia had disappeared into, his face devoid of any emotion. I took this chance to inspect him further.

For some reason, I felt connected to him. He was the one who seemed to make all the hard choices, sacrificing his own well-being for those around him. It wasn't his fault he had turned cold and unfeeling during that.

I flinched back into the tree as I accidentally broke a branch craning my neck for a better view of Achilles. I held my breath as his head snapped towards the tree I was hiding in it, his eyes scanning every little detail. Seemingly satisfied there was no threat, Achilles stepped into the fire like Hestia did, turning around whilst he did so. Just a second before the flames rose, I swore he made eye contact with me, a smirk at his lips. It was almost as if he was trying to convey a mental message. _The ball is in your field now, _he was saying.

Then flames rose, removing him from my sight.

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><p><strong>WOW! Cliff HANGER! Did you enjoy that! I piling all this information on you but I promise that there WILL be an explanation to all these problems!<strong>

**Please review guys! I would really love it and PLUS it would inspire me to write more 8D**


	18. The Minotaur

**I know, I know. I have crowded so many demented ideas in only four chapters that this story is losing its edge but I SWEAR that it will begin to make sense. I'll solve some problem, reveal a few secrets etc. **

**Until then, however, enjoy :-D**

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><p>Chapter 17<p>

I had remained in the tree for quite some time after Achilles disappeared. I watched as the flames slowly withered and died away and as the night sky darkened considerably more, bright stars dotting the inky sky.

I had climbed down from the tree in a sort of daze, barely aware of what I was doing yet still knowing. I had been wrong previously.

Apparently there were still things that could surprise me.

I wandered the forest aimlessly until I came upon a section that I actually recognized. After that, it was a simple thing to find my way home. I barely noticed anything that went on around me. My thoughts were too taken up by what had just happened that day.

The information that I had just obtained had the ability to answer so many questions and, if possible, begin some more. They were like puzzle pieces.

I had all the right ones but I just needed to put them together into what I hoped would be a clear picture, though I know it's harder than it sounds. I was so taken up by these thoughts that I wasn't exactly watching where I was going.

So I tripped. Go figure.

All breath left me in a rush as I made impact with the ground, adding more bruises to my already numerous amount. I had a sneaking feeling that I wouldn't be able to get out of bed the next morning.

I scowled at the ground. After all I had been through today, couldn't the Fates take pity on me for _once. _

Slowly, I heaved myself from the ground, twisting to get a look at what I tripped over before pushing myself into what resembled a standing position.

I had tripped over what I had first mistaken for an overly large branch but, as my eyes grew more accustomed to the darkness, I realised that it wasn't a branch that had been the cause of my fall.

It was Alex. I froze.

All feeling left my body, my toes and fingers going numb. I could taste nothing but a bitter after taste in my mouth. Alex appeared to be unconscious, laying face down by my feet. His swords lay, forgotten, a few metres away, rustic blood staining the blades.

Alex's body was layered in scratches and bruises, his own blood staining the ground. I knew he wasn't dead for I could hear his breaths. They were deep and ragged as if it troubled him to take in air.

For one, terrifying moment, I thought that maybe a monster, like the Drakaina, had found us, that it had found Alex first, but I quickly dismissed the idea. Alex had been fighting Aaron during the test this morning. Most likely, Aaron had taken the fight a bit too seriously and had fought well beyond Alex's limits. I wouldn't have put it past Aaron to simply leave him in the dirt as well once he was finished.

I sighed. I would have to have a little chat with Aaron once I got home.

I raised my hands, holding them out towards my brother and his swords. I took a deep breath, allowing Artemis' powers to flow through me until static was crackling in the air around my finger tips. I was barely aware of my body faintly glowing as I focused all my energy on my brother. "αύξηση," I whispered, releasing my power.

Slowly, but surely, Alex and his swords rose a few feet into the air where he stayed, bobbing slightly in the breeze.

The power I had used that day had finally taken its toll on me. Even maintaining a simple levitating spell was taking a toll on me, draining me of my energy. I ignored it, though, forcing myself to keep the spell alive, allowing more and more of my energy into the spell.

Twitching my finger tips slightly, I muttered, "έρχονται."

I didn't wait to see if the spell was working. Instead, I turned on my heel and disappeared into the forest, reassured that I only had a few more minutes until the house came into view. I hadn't even gone a few metres when I felt something lightly bump my shoulder.

I grinned. It seemed the spell had worked after all.

As I walked further, I couldn't help but feel that it wasn't Aaron who had done that to Alex. The scratches were too deep and to jagged for a sword to do, the bruises not like the ones you might get a brawl. What if a monster had done that to Alex? What if it was watching me at this very moment, waiting for the opportune moment to strike?

I shuddered. No. There was no monster. I was merely using my over imagination.

However, I walked through the forest more warily, my senses on high alert for anything that might give me warning of an attack.

I reached the edge of the forest in record time, leaving the forbidding, ominous shadows of the forest behind. I had never liked the forest at night. The shadows always seemed to be looming towards you, taking shapes of imaginary attackers and threats. Sometimes, the shadows were so pitch black that it was possible to hide within one and not be seen.

I wanted nothing more than to leave the dark forest behind and take refuge in my bed, safe from the terrors of the night. A twig snapped.

I flinched, a loud _crash! _sounding behind me as I lost concentration in the spell, Alex crashing to the ground. However, I didn't move, I didn't breathe.

The silence seemed to be pressing down upon, the darkness rising to meet me. Suddenly everything held possibilities of threats and danger. I couldn't explain it but I needed to get inside quickly, before I lost my mental sanity.

I was nearly ready to sprint for the house, Alex be damned, when something caught my eye. I froze, turning my head to stare at the curious object lying on the grass.

It was a clipboard that I had seen Anna holding earlier on. I wouldn't have given it a second glance, usually, if it wasn't for the splattered droplets of blood that was staining the paper.

Time seemed to freeze, the blood pounding in my ears.

This wasn't good.

"Anna?" I whispered, scanning the shadows for any sign of my sister, "Anna?"

No answer.

My breath hitched. Before I knew it, my bow appeared in my hands, the satchel arrows once again secured to my waist. Nocking an arrow, I slowly approached the house, allowing the memories of training to wash over me.

The house was dark and silent, not a single light lit. If I was right, Uncle Carl would've been home by then, Helena and Phe probably arguing over who was going to cook dinner that night when Anna was already doing exactly that.

Instead, however, the house had a forbidding air of abandonment about it, as if the only thing occupying it was something incredibly evil, incredibly dangerous.

I swallowed, crouching low to the ground and sprinting to the back door, flattening myself against the wall as I allowed myself time to catch my breath.

I waited for a brief moment, straining my ears for any sound at all. From what I could tell, the house was completely silent except for a light shuffling. It almost sounded like the shuffling of feet.

The question was though, friend or enemy?

Slowly, I edged along the wall, keeping to the shadows, until my hands connected with the flywire of the backdoor. I almost immediately felt sick in the stomach.

The flywire was ripped, a massive gaping hole slashed down the centre. It had seemed that _something _had sliced the door open, using it as an entrance.

It was official.

There was something in my house.

I held on to the slim possibility that my siblings were just playing an incredibly cruel prank on me, that the person shuffling around inside was actually just Phe and Helena getting into a fist fight over who would cook dinner.

I didn't bother with the door. Silently, I slithered through the man-made gap, making sure my feet made no noise on the floorboards. The house was dark, the hallway littered with shadows. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness without the moonlight, nothing seemed to be out of place.

Then my eyesight adjusted.

I held back a gasp. The wallpaper hung in shreds, long and deep scratches running the length of the wall. Bottomless pools of blood seemed to pop up at random places, spattering against the floorboards and walls. Every now and then, my eyes would find a broken piece of scrap metal that looked suspiciously like a twisted, deformed sword or spear.

However, what terrified me the most wasn't the battle debris or the now louder scuffling sound but the pale, white hand limply placed on the floor right at the entrance to the kitchen.

Almost immediately, all hope that my siblings were just playing a prank vanished. Drops of sweat were trailing down my spine yet I shivered, almost involuntarily.

I was then that I noticed that I was still wearing just a black sports bra. I hadn't realised how cold it had gotten despite the summer night chill. I had been too preoccupied by my thoughts to notice anything, actually, or to notice that I had been away from home for more than six hours.

And now I was paying the price.

Choking back the fear, the instinct to run, I pressed forward, sticking to the wall as I edged closer to the hand. I had never felt such a fear to run. I had always thought that, when the time came, I would face fear head on and laugh in the face of death.

I was wrong.

Still, I forced myself to listen for any sign of an attack and halted by the hand, crouching down on the ground. Placing the arrow back into the satchel and hanging my bow from my shoulder, I took the hand in mine. Letting it hang limply in my palm, I pressed my two forefingers into its wrist, feeling for its pulse.

I was met with the faint _thump! thump! _of a pulse. It was weak but it was there, all the same. Holding back the urge to sigh in relief, I crept around the corner, into the room where the body connecting to the hand was.

I screamed.

Almost instantly, I clamped my hands tightly over my mouth, cutting off my screech. I barely realised that, somewhere above my head, the scuffling had stopped. I couldn't help but whimper through my hands, all thoughts of being strong eradicated.

The body was Phe.

I could barely recognize her. The white blouse and faded shorts I had watched her so carefully choose out were now drenched in blood, the shirt torn and hanging in limp strips. Long, deep cuts sliced their way up and down her previously long, slim legs, the heels of her shoes broken. Her arm was bent at an odd angle, in a way I never knew was even possible, and blood pooled at her head from an open wound.

In fact, the only way I could recognize her was through her long, golden tresses. Though they gave off a wilted appearance, the colour still shone through the blood stains, adding an almost eerie beauty to her.

A sudden sense of despair filled me. She looked like a fallen angel. A few metres away, lodged firmly into the wall, was a single sword. I had no idea how it had gotten there (the mere thought of Phe in possession of a sword terrified me) but, for her sake, I had hoped she had put up a fight.

But, still, the question remained. What had happened?

Though it pained me, I turned, stepping carefully over Phe's body and back into the hallway. There was nothing I could do for her and, the only way I would ever feel better, was if I found the _thing _that did that to her and kicked it's ass.

I had planned on searching the entire house for it, to hell with stealth, and corner it, waiting for the perfect moment to feel my sword go through its heart and have its blood pool at my feet but, amazingly enough, I found that I didn't have too.

Why?

Because it was right in front of me.

Terror rose inside of me, my whole body frozen in shock in what was standing only a few metres before me. Never, not once, did it cross my mind that it would be this beast that had done this. Not. Even. Once.

The Minotaur.

It was a massive, hulking beast, towering at almost seven ft tall. Tan, muscled legs covered with a loin cloth covered the bottom half, however, from waist up, was a completely different picture. It was a bull. The tanned skin slowly gave way to brown, thin hair and a thick physique. The Minotaur snorted angrily, a bronze ring hanging from its left nostril. Its ivory colours horns scraped along the ceiling, leaving deep scratches in the plaster.

It snorted, its red eyes rolling maniacally. It tapped its hooves at the ground, preparing to charge. I knew I wouldn't be able to fight it in the hallway. There was no free room for movement or anything that I could hang from on the ceiling if it came to jumping over the beast's head. It also didn't help that, even if I could jump over it head, the beast was as tall as the ceiling.

So, I did the only option that presented itself at that moment. I turned and ran.

A loud roar echoed through the hallway as I leaped through the ripped flywire, focusing my mind onto feeling the texture of a smooth dagger in my hand. I pivoted just as the dagger appeared in my hands, narrowing my eyes as the Minotaur tore down the door as it charged towards me.

Aiming for the eye, I let the dagger loose, turning and once again running a few more paces instead of waiting and seeing if it hit its mark. Judging by the tormented yell that pierced the air, I guessed it had.

Shrugging off my bow, I nocked an arrow and turned, taking aim. The Minotaur was looking honestly quite a bit madder then last time, my dagger protruding from his left shoulder. Though I had missed my intended target, I had still made my mark.

I released the arrow, watching it as it soared towards the charging Bull-man. It gleamed dangerously as it neared even closer and bounced harmlessly off the Minotaur's chest. Holding back a growl, I nocked another three arrows, releasing one after the other. Like the previous one before it, they all bounced harmlessly of the thick chest of the Minotaur.

I let out a frustrated sigh. The Minotaur was only a few metres away when I nocked another arrow, releasing it straight for the chest.

Casually flicking at away, the Minotaur barrelled into me, sending me flying into large oak a few metres away. Trying to maintain my sense of gravity, my bow was sent flying from my hands, landing out of my reach.

I landed on my stomach, a dull sense of pain shooting straight to my head. I was aware of something sticky matted into my hair. Trembling, I put a hand to my head, pulling it away to find a coat of blood. However, I didn't have time for self pity.

Locking my pain away, I stood, forcing myself to stand on shaking legs. I barely had any time before I had to duck as the Minotaur's horns lodged into the tree trunk where my head had been a few moments before. I felt my legs give out beneath me, the pounding in my head intensifying to an almost unbearable degree.

I ignored it.

Freeing itself from the trunk, the Minotaur backed a few paces, studying me with blood crazed eyes. Taking the opportunity presented, I scanned the grass for my bow, finding it quite a few metres away and totally out of my reach.

Glancing briefly at the Minotaur, I realised that I wouldn't have time to conjure my scimitars. With the wound on my head taking away most of strength, it would take more time than usual to conjure them, time I didn't have.

I was aware of the Minotaur preparing itself to charge, to skewer me against the tree. I hoped dreadfully that my siblings wouldn't be the ones to find me. I didn't want them to go through the pain of seeing me dead.

If they weren't dead themselves, though.

Shaking the image from my head, I focused my eyes on the hill behind the Minotaur, watching the shadows move and the full moon shine. A figure was standing on the top of the hill, I realized with dull surprise, the figure only a mere shadow.

The figure seemed to be holding a bow, an arrow nocked and aimed towards me. It looked every bit as regal as it sounded, the stars that littered the night sky bathing the figure in a soft glow.

Before the Minotaur had the chance to charge, the figure let loose the arrow. It soared through the midnight sky in a graceful arc, finding its mark on the Minotaur's back. It obviously bounced off like mine but the Minotaur turned, roaring as it searched for whoever dared attack it when it had its back turned.

Realising the opportunity that was presented, I closed my eyes, wishing to feel the familiar hilts of my twin scimitars in my hands. Before I knew it, I opened my eyes to see them in my palms, glittering in the moonlight.

I wasted no time. Just as the Minotaur returned its attention to me, I plunged both my blades into the Bull-man's lower abdomen, relishing in the sickening noise it made.

For a brief moment, time froze. I could see every hair on the beast's stomach, see the shock etched onto its face and see the figure angelically lowering its bow.

Then, like the Drakaina, the body began to crumble. It turned to ash, the particles flying away with the night breeze, leaving my scimitars completely clean of blood.

I blinked slowly, slightly unsure of what I had just done.

I had just killed the Minotaur. By myself.

No. I had help.

I snapped my eyes towards the figure on the hill just as it turned and disappeared into the forest.

"Wait!" I called. Swearing colourfully, I leapt to my feet ignoring the blinding pain in my head. White flashes of light were now blinking across my eyesight as I sprinted up the side of the hill, breathing laboured.

As I reached the top, I could just see the faint outline of the figure sprinting away. I wasn't about to give it up quite yet.

I dashed into the forest, leaping lithely over the now moaning figure of my brother. The scenery around me blurred into one wet canvas and the only thing clear was the figure in front of me.

"Wait!" I called again, "Stop!"

But the figure kept on running.

I ran until my legs began to prickle painfully and each breath felt like a dagger to the chest. Each step threatened to topple me over as the pain from my head spread to my entire body. Finally the figure stopped at the base of a tree, pivoting to face me.

Slowing, I placed my hands behind my head to steady my breathing, ignoring the stickiness I felt in my matted hair.

The figure was leaning against the tree, half concealed in the shadows. Though, this close, I could now tell that the figure was male and wearing Greek Battle Armour that looked eerily similar to the set I had seen Achilles wear earlier that day.

Taking in a deep breath, I whispered, "Who are you?"

He straightened slowly. "You're not ready to know."

"Like hell I'm not," I hissed, lifting a slightly trembling sword into the air, "Now you tell me who the hell you are or I'll slice you up."

He grinned, just a slight upturn of the lips. "You're in no condition, Artemis, to fight. Save this battle for another day."

Though I hated it, I knew he was right. I lowered my sword, holding back the urge to groan from pain threading through my body. Before I could utter another word to my male saviour, another figure dropped from the sky, landing lightly in front of my saviour.

Like my saviour, it was male and he was facing the other, his back to me. He was shirtless, his back bronzed and the muscles smooth, practically perfect. However, two large, white feathered wings protruded from his back in a V shape, growing to almost his entire height. They were beautiful, otherworldly and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and to touch them.

"Goodbye Artemis," said the voice form behind what I could only call the Angel.

And with those final words, the angel wrapped an arm around the other and took off into the night sky, disappearing into the glittering stars.

My last thought was that I had never seen anything more beautiful than the Angel I had just seen.

Then, everything went black.

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><p><strong>So my darlings, whatcha think?<strong>

**I really need some feed back! What do you want more of! More Henri/Mia? More action? More Eric?**

**Thank you to all those who have reviewed! You all have a special place in my heart ;)**


	19. Heal Me

**Okay guys, here we go! I've already written the next four chapters so just give me PM if you want the chapters to be released sooner :-D**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 18<p>

"αύξηση."

A warm, curious feeling spread through me, reaching out to the furthest corners of my body. I felt as if I had suddenly been propelled upwards into the sky, higher than the clouds, higher than the Gods themselves. I could feel every separate particle of the power that flowed through me, eradicating all pain and suffering. It washed through me like a wave and then, suddenly, it wasn't.

I opened my eyes.

There was a canopy of trees above me, hazy morning sunlight poking through the leaves. For a brief moment, I couldn't remember a single thing from the day before but that soon changed. I groaned as I remembered everything I had been through, everything I had seen.

If I remembered correctly, I had passed out from a head wound I had obtained and, if all those times Aaron had pounded my head was enough proof, I shouldn't have been awake only a few hours later.

Warily, I rested up on the elbows, ignoring the sudden wave of dizziness that coursed through me. I closed my eyes, taking the time to focus my energy.

"You'll need some time to rest."

My eyes snapped open, my elbows collapsing from beneath me as I crashed into the ground. A head bent over me, blocking my view of the sky. His blue eyes gave me a concerned once over. I gasped.

Alex. "Thank the Gods," I whispered, latching onto my brother with enough strength to topple even Aaron over.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, using him as the only support between me and the ground. I could feel the vibrations run through his chest as he chuckled softly. Gently, he pushed me away from him, revealing his blood stained torn cloths. Despite him looking better than he did last night, dried blood was still matted in his hair and what suspiciously looked like fresh blood was slowly trickling down his cheek. I studied his eyes intensely, noticing immediately the pain that flashed through them.

"I need you to heal me," he whispered, using a tree to help him stand. I could clearly see the shudders that ran through his body, "I only had enough energy to wake you up."

I nodded, carefully pulling myself into a standing position. Alex was leaning against the tree when I reached a hand to his forehead. His eyes had a haunted look and his skin had a deathly green tinge to it.

Imagining the power seeping through my fingertips, I whispered, "θεραπεύσει."

I watched with an almost sickly fascination as Alex began to glow, a golden colour shining through his skin. It was like his wounds were in a fast forward process. The bruises faded, leaving smooth perfect skin while the matted blood in his hair trickled slowly back into his head, the wound healing over completely.

I didn't know whether to be disgusted or mesmerized by the way the blood seemed to be moving back into his body on its own accord. Truthfully, I was slight horrified by it myself.

Only when I cut off the flow of magic did I realise how tired I had become. I wobbled dangerously and, before I could get steady myself, I collapsed.

Strong hands caught me before I could touch the ground. I hated being the damsel in distress but, as Alex helped me back onto my feet, I couldn't help but notice that sometimes, I was.

"Heal me," I muttered. Alex grinned.

Leaning me against a tree, he placed both hands on my shoulders and, like I did to him, whispered, "θεραπεύσει."

I gasped as the power filled me, snapping my eyes closed. I had never had anyone use their powers on me. It was breathtaking, like someone giving you life when you were still dead. The power felt almost alive, as if it had real emotions and energy, spreading through my body with a warm feeling. A curious tickling sensation occurred in every area I had a wound as it healed.

As the powers spread further, I felt more powerful then I had ever before. It was like I was high on the power. I never wanted it to stop.

But it had too.

Too soon, Alex took his hands back, the feeling leaving me instantly.

I blinked my eyes open, a grin spreading across my face. Though the feeling was gone, I still felt as if I could rule the world. Alex returned the grin.

"You like that?" he asked.

I heaved myself from the ground fluidly, my body in perfect health. "It was like I was high on the power, Alex. I've never felt anything like it."

"I know what you mean. It's addicting but it's also not safe to have that much power."

Alex's tone grew serious, his eyes urging me to understand.

I nodded. "Don't worry Alex. I know what I'm doing."

For a moment, Alex's eyes didn't leave mine. I had a horrid feeling that he didn't quite believe me but I couldn't blame him. I had always liked things, objects really, that held power. I had been drawn to them but since I had found out that I technically _was _one, my liking of them lessened considerably.

He ripped his eyes away from me, turning on his heel towards the house. "C'mon," he called over his shoulder, a glistening broadsword appearing in his hand, "Let's find the others."

The others.

I shuddered. Who knew what the Minotaur had done to them. For all I knew, they could've been dead. No.

I would refuse to think of that.

* * *

><p>It wasn't pretty.<p>

Now that the sun had risen, I could see every detail, every horror that I had missed the night before. The Minotaur had reduced the interior of the house to shreds; blood splatters in places you didn't even know were possible to reach. Huge chunks had been ripped from the staircase, Helena hanging from the banister limply, blood flowing freely from a wound near her stomach. I had run from the room before I could have the chance of studying her more closely. I was aware of Alex healing her, whispering kind words before sending her to her room for rest. Her scream from her room alerted us that another body had been found and Alex, once again, left to investigate.

I had been left to my own devices, keeping in mind that Alex had told me to only heal those whose injuries weren't major and leave the others to him.

Though it pained me, I lowered myself next to Phe, averting my eyes from her bloodied body.

Muttering the Greek word for 'Heal,' I let the power flow through me and into Phe, the wounds disappearing as if they had never existed. The wounds withered away, the bruises disappearing completely while the blood slithered back into the open wounds before healing over them.

Phe's eyes fluttered open, a hand going to her chest to steady her beating heart.

A wisp of a smile crossed my face as her eyes found mine. Before she could speak, I told her, "I've just healed you Phe but you still need to rest. Now, I want you to go _directly _to your room. No detours, no trips into other rooms, I want you to go straight to your room and rest. Ignore everything else. Understand?"

Phe rose slowly from the ground, nodding slowly. "Why don't I want to take any detours?"

I winced slightly, thinking of all the bodies of our injured and unconscious siblings that littered the house. "Believe me," I told her, "You don't want to know."

Phe didn't even bother replying. A glazed look gliding over her eyes, she stumbled out of the kitchen and down the corridor, her broken heels held in one hand.

I sighed.

I didn't like doing what I was doing at that moment. It was horrifying and dirty work to seek out your seriously injured, possibly dead siblings and heal them. If something happened to go wrong, the blame would automatically go on me since I had been the one healing them.

I could hear the faint sounds of Helena in hysterics and Phe commenting loudly that, "Honey, all you need is a good snogging session. That'll perk you right up."

By the way Helena's cries grew louder, Phe's words offered no consolation. Perhaps Zach had been the body she found. It would explain the tears.

I rose slowly, rubbing a hand across my forehead as loud footsteps thundered down the hall. I looked towards the doorway leading to the hallway just as Haden sprinted past it, sporting a very impressive looking black eye. It wasn't very long before Alex dashed after him, yelling something along the lines of, "Turn left, Haden! Left, I said! Don't do anything rash!"

I frowned. I worried about this house, sometimes.

Someone coughed from behind me.

I froze.

The scratchy cough sent shudders through me. It was scratchy and obviously full of pain, the sound placing terrible images in my head. I pivoted, taking in the kitchen with keen eyes. The window that ran the length of the room were shattered, the marble counters that also lined the wall below them covered with the shards. The round breakfast table had been split down the middle, blood staining the wood red. The fridge had been tipped on its side, its contents spilt carelessly on the floor. Next to it, the walk in pantry was open, inky shadows hiding its depths from sight.

I approached it cautiously, my feet making no sound on the floorboards. It was stupid of me, of course. It could only be one of my siblings who was in there yet still my mind was plagued with thoughts that another beast had found a way in.

"Hello?" I asked, peering into the darkness of the pantry.

Another cough echoed through the room causing my heart to almost stop beating. Whoever it was, they were in terrible pain.

I reached the entrance of the pantry, groping blindly at the wall for the light switch. The lights flickered on.

I screamed.

It was official. That scream had to have been the fifth or sixth time I had screamed in the past two days. Before those times, you would've been lucky to hear me scream. In fact, I'm pretty sure that first and only time I had ever screamed before that day was when Po _accidentally _pushed me off a cruise boat. He jumped in after me, of course, but he had a right good laugh about it. Though he wasn't the one laughing when I got Henri too _accidentally _push him into shark infested waters.

I was an accident. I _swear._

Though, at that moment, I had pretty good reason to scream.

I had been right. One of my siblings was on the pantry floor, his blood seeping into the food.

It was Henri.

I could tell instantly that he had tried to fight back. Still clutched in his hand was a bloodied sword, his knuckles white. Sometime during his fight, he must've been thrown into the shelves lining the back wall since he lay in the debris, his body half covered by the wood. Glass shards from the jars of jam and large wood chunks had pierced his skin, vibrating as he drew in a ragged breath. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed on him, coating the better half of his body in the plaster

His face was pulled into an expression of pain, blood trickling down a cut on his lips. One eye was swollen closed, a thick green fluid running down the side.

"Henri?" I whispered, my hear lurching.

"Mia," he croaked, giving me a strained cocky smile, "Your looking stunning as ever."

My eyes widened in horror as I stumbled forward, falling to my knees. All previous thoughts about Henri vanished. I didn't care if he had kissed me or pushed me of a cliff. He looked bloody close to dying and I wasn't about to let that happen.

I shoved the fallen wood and glass aside, ignoring the shards that dug into my skin. Henri winced slightly as I heaved a particularly heavy piece of plaster form his stomach.

"Alex!" I shouted, "Alex, get here right now!"

I clambered closer to Henri as Alex's distant voice replied, "I'm a bit occupied, sis. Wait and, if it's serious, don't try _anything _until I get there!"

I nodded then, realising that he wasn't there, called, "I'll wait for you in the pantry!"

I returned my gaze to Henri and choked back a sob. Even though I had begun to scream at every little thing like some Valley Girl, I would _never _cry. Not for anything.

Personal space be damned, I shifted closer to Henri's head, reaching for his head tenderly and shifting it to my lap. I ignored his grimace of pain and that I was breaking every single personal rule I had set for myself earlier.

"Are you okay?" I whispered, running a hand through his hair. Like Phe's, even though it was stained with blood, his golden hair still shone through.

He attempted to make his smile wider but instead grimaced in pain. "I'm feeling great."

I let out a short laugh thought it was filled with anything but humour. I smoothed back his hair, oddly protective. "I bet you are."

Footsteps alerted me to the presence of someone else. Well, that and the colourful swearing that seemed to echo through the small room. I ripped my eyes away from Henri to find Alex at the opening of the pantry, Haden staring in horror behind him.

Briskly, Alex settled beside Henri and, ignoring his feeble protests, lifted his shirt to his chest. We were once again treated to the colourful swearing of my twin brother.

There was not an inch of clear skin on his stomach, his skin a complete mass of discoloured bruises. Purple, yellow, black and green tangled together on his skin, marred only by a long piece of wood that speared through his stomach. I didn't know how he survived the night.

Haden let out a low whistle. "Henri, I swear you _want _to get killed sometimes."

"Haden," Alex said patiently, staring intently at Henri's stomach, "Can you check on the girls then see if you can heal anyone else?"

Haden shrugged. "Sure."

Turning on his heel, he left the room.

I watched as Alex tenderly pressed his fingers to the bruises causing Henri to yelp in pain. I flinched as did Alex. Sweat was beginning to bead at Henri's forehead, his eyes growing distant.

I pressed a hand to his forehead, my hand burning at contact with his skin. "Alex, he's burning up. If you're going to do something, do it _now."_

Alex shook his head. "Mia, I don't know the full extent of his injuries. With bruises like this _and _a stab wound, it's possible he has internal bleeding and a few broken ribs. I've just healed three people not including you. I would've healed six but Haden helped. Still, I don't think I have enough energy to heal his injuries at the moment."

"Then heal some of them," I shot back, "At least enough so that he isn't dying."

He sighed but I smirked. I knew that sigh. It was one of defeat.

"Fine," he snapped, noticing my triumphant smirk, "Don't move."

I took my hands back from Henri's forehead, ignoring Henri's slight protest. Alex, placing a hand on the mass of bruises, muttered, "θεραπεύσει," his eyes closed.

For a brief moment, my eyes met Henri's, aching at the sight of the pain that filled them. Then, he began to glow.

Like the others before him, the power from Alex threaded through Henri's body, the golden glow spreading to every inch. This close to him, I could _feel _the power run through Henri, feel it as it tickled his skin. The stab wound melted into itself, disappearing completely from sight as well as the swollen eye. The bruises disfiguring his stomach faded slightly, the colour turning dull, however, they didn't completely disappear.

I expected for the power to keep running through Henri, completely healing him of all injuries, however, the power abruptly cut itself off.

The golden threads spun back into Alex's finger tips, leaving Henri better than before. I let a small smile grace my lips and turned to Alex. The smile immediately left my face.

Alex's eyelids fluttered closed, swaying dangerously. He had used up too much power with all the power he had used today. He was now paying the price.

I winced as Alex audibly hit the floorboards, my hands once again finding Henri's hair.

"Haden!" I shouted, "Alex's collapsed!"

I waited patiently as footsteps once again rumbled down the hallway. A figure appeared at the entryway, however, it wasn't one I expected.

My eyes met Zach's blue ones, the usual twinkle gone from his eye. He was holding his arm gingerly as if it pained him to move it yet he still took in the scene with knowing eyes.

"Haden had just passed out, as well," he told me, taking in the unconscious Alex, "Everyone's healed though. I'll take Alex somewhere he can rest."

I nodded my thanks mutely.

Alex, after Zach muttered a few words, rose into the air, his head lolling back. The pair had nearly left the room when Zach suddenly turned back to me and said, "By the way, I've called at council meeting at noon. The rest of us are going to clean up the house but I want you to stay with Henri and heal the rest of his injuries. When you're done, you can join us in cleaning up."

I nodded again. "Of course."

He left the room and I returned my gaze to Henri. It surprised me that, even after Alex poured all his power into the healing, the bruises were still visible. I had at first thought that the worst part was the stab wound but I had obviously been wrong.

I absent-mindedly ran my fingers through his hair again as I studied his face. His eyes were closed, the sweat still coating his forehead but his breathing wasn't as laboured. Nodding in satisfaction, I returned my gaze to his stomach.

My eyes widened.

The bruises hadn't disappeared, no, but they were _barely _there. A few moments ago, I could've sworn that they were still fairly prominent. I narrowed my eyes, watching the bruises intently.

For a moment, nothing happened, than I blinked.

The bruises vanished.

What, in the name Zeus, just happened?

Keeping one hand in his hair, I reached down to place a hand on his now unmarred stomach, feeling the heat it emitted. Sliding my hand up further, I lifted his shirt higher to reveal his chest. It, like the stomach, was in perfect health. Not a bruise, nothing.

I frowned, idly trailing my hand across his stomach. He was warm.

"That feels nice."

I swear I nearly jumped. My eyes flew to Henri. His eyes were still closed but I could tell he was awake since he was leaning slightly into my fingers.

I froze. I was running my hands through the hair and across the chest of the guy I just very recently swore that I would never care deeply for.

Damnit.

I yanked my hands back, standing abruptly. Henri's head hit the floor with a _bang!_, his face contorting into a mask of pain. A bolt of guilt and regret immediately shot through me but I shook it off.

Get a _grip _on yourself, Amelia. You are _not _some girl who fantasizes about running her hands through someone's hair. No, by the Gods, I am not.

"I'm going to clean the kitchen up," I said coolly, ignoring the smirk that was slowly forming on Henri's face. He must've realised that I had been the one playing with his hair. Bloody proud idiot. "When you're feeling better, I'm going to need your help."

His eyes snapped open, the smirk fully formed on his face. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be right beside you."

I glared at him. "I look forward to it."

Henri's eyes twinkled and I resisted the urge to strangle him. He was enjoying this _way _too much. Instead, I walked out of the pantry, shutting the door behind me.

* * *

><p><strong>You asked for Henri, you got Henri! Tell me what you thought and tell me what you want!<strong>

**Also, I've rewritten the first two chapters and I'm working on doing the same for the rest of them. I read through them yesterday and was like, 'Wow, that is terrible.'**

**So keep an eye out for updates :-D**


	20. The Council

**Alrighty, here we go! Now this chapter is a filler almost so it fills in a few gaps. I'm still working on the redos for the previous chapters so there aren't any new ones. Sorry :(**

**But until then, my lovelies, ENJOY :-D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 19<p>

He was smirking at me.

As I stared intently at the glass shards on the counter, willing them to repair themselves with a few selected Greek words, I could almost _feel _the smirk Henri was giving me. It hadn't left his face when he finally exited the pantry an hour ago and it quickly grew when he noticed that I was pointedly ignoring him. He obviously didn't understand that, when ignoring someone, they don't usually respond to frustrating facial expressions.

Though, I still had to exercise a bit of self control in that area.

The room crackled with golden static as the glass rose into the air, speedily rearranging itself into one solid window pane. It buzzed slightly as I lowered the pane into the window frame, fitting it snugly in. The glass glistened, perfectly formed.

I nodded in satisfaction, turning to face the door.

We had spent the better part of the hour working on the kitchen and pantry, studying the damage critically before coming to a conclusion on what to do. Henri had automatically taken care of the table, fridge and pantry while I did everything else. At that time, it had seemed like a good idea but now, since he was rummaging around suspiciously in the fridge, I was having second thoughts.

I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing, Henri?"

He flinched, banging his head on the inside of the fridge before grinning at me. "Absolutely nothing."

I raised an eyebrow, taking a step towards the fridge as Henri slammed it shut hastily. "So you won't mind if I took a look then?"

A panicked look crossed Henri's face but before I could get a better look, it was gone. Coughing slightly, he leaned against the fridge, refusing to gain me access.

"Well, actually," Henri began, "I don't want anything _abnormal _to happen so, for you, the fridge is off-limits."

A grin slowly crept onto my face, despite myself. "Abnormal? That makes me thing you're up to something."

Henri, noticing that he had made me smile, grinned back. "When am I not?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Fair point."

Turning away from him, I glanced at the clock, reading the hands. "It's five to twelve," I noticed dryly. I turned back to Henri, my expression unreadable again, "Let's go."

Without giving him a glance, I swept past him, fully intent on getting out the room fast. The quicker I could get away from his smirk the better. However, a hand enclosed around my wrist before I could, pulling me back. I glanced briefly at the hand before looking up at Henri. He had pulled me dangerously close to him and, if he pulled me any closer, he would find himself in extreme pain for the remainder of the day. For a moment, I was shocked about how much emotion that filled his eyes, but I quickly ignored it. "What's up, Henri?" I asked.

A ghost of a smile swept along his face before sliding off. "Just want to say thanks."

I allowed myself to relax slightly. "No worries."

I tugged my arm back but Henri kept a firm grip on it. I frowned up at him. "Anything else?"

This time, he grinned, his entire face lighting up in almost malicious glee. I narrowed my eyes. I knew that expression all too well. "I just wanted to tell you that, well," he paused, trailing his eyes over my body, "You may want to put on a shirt."

I froze, glancing down at my black sports bra in horror. I had completely forgotten I had been wearing it. Another though hit me before I could do anything else. The entire time I had been with Henri, holding him, I had been _half-naked. _

I ripped my arm away from him, wrapping them around my bare waist.

"Thanks for the heads up," I said coldly, pouring every ounce of venom into the phrase as I could. However, it didn't seem to have any effect on Henri since he kept staring at me in barely concealed amusement. In fact, I had a feeling that he would break out into convulsions of laughter as soon as I left the room.

I growled, stalking out of the room. I needed to find the baggiest, most un-flattering shirt I had and put it on.

* * *

><p>"Alright then, let's begin the meeting."<p>

I fingered the edge of my over sized grey tee idly. It had been one of Alex's old exercise shirts that he grew out of, though since I had a smaller figure to him, the shirt still was fairly large on me, the ends reaching mid thigh. I was aware of Henri _still _smirking at me and Phe giving us all-knowing glances. It was really starting to grate on my nerves.

It had taken longer than expected for us to get everything together. Many of us had obtained serious injuries and still needed time to rest while others had thrown on the first clothes they came upon then tiredly began to help cleaning up. Some of us were still in our training clothes from yesterday, now bloodied and torn, while other had changed into pyjamas before the attack.

Henri was sprawled along the couch to my left, Alex dozing lightly in the armchair on my others side. Anna nudged Alex awake with the hilt of her sword as Zach called us to attention.

"Alright," he began, successfully shutting the whole room up, "Considering all we've been through, I'm going to skip formalities and get right to the topic," he took a deep breath, "What the bloody hell just happened last night?"

"The Minotaur attacked," Anna said matter-of-factly, idly running her finger along the blade of her sword.

Po scoffed, glaring venomously at Anna. "Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Anastasia."

Anna returned the glare with equal ferocity while Haden placed a hand on Po's arm. "Mate, leave her alone. It's not her fault."

Before Po had a chance to reply, however, Deanna cut in. "You're one to talk, Haden," she seethed, "Sure, don't blame precious Anna but always blame expendable Deanna."

"That rhymed." Henri mused dryly, eyeing the growing fight curiously. I shook my head. This was not going to be good.

Haden sighed while, without interruption, Anna and Po continued their fight, volume rising with each passing moment. However, whatever Haden was going to say, it seemed it would do nothing to Deanna who was continuing her colourful rant with a number of very offensive names that were aimed at Haden.

The volume in the room rose drastically, all other sound was eradicated except for the yelling, angry voices of my siblings. I could see Zach frantically waving his arms about, attempting to have his voice heard over the others though it was a lost cause. Beside me, Alex had once again begun to doze off though I had no idea how since the fight was so thunderous, I wouldn't have been able to rest my head let alone _sleep._

By then, Aaron had joined the fight, adding his freakishly sharp sword to the brawl. Anna, noticing this, leapt past Zach and tackled Aaron to the ground, ripping the sword away from his hands.

I winced. When I had entered this meeting, I had been expecting something slightly more orderly then what I was witnessing at that moment. I had expected to see us as Gods once more, see us come to a reasonable conclusion and act with responsibility. However, instead we had turned back into annoying, bickering teenagers, our own petty problems and feuds coming before more important topics of matter.

I had a sneaking suspicion that if someone didn't break it up soon, my siblings would most likely resort to killing each other.

Apparently, Henri was thinking along the same lines.

An ear piercing whistle sounded across the room, injuring my already frail eardrums. The raised voices ceased instantly, all eyes turning to face Henri. Scowling he stood, his usual cheerful expression wiped off his face. For a moment, irrational fear flashed through me. Henri rarely got angry due to his natural role of class clown but, when he was, he had a worse temper then Aaron.

"Don't get me wrong," he hissed, obviously trying hard to keep his cool, "I'm the God of tricksters and thieves. I like watching fights because I find them amusing. But, right now, we have a much larger problem on our hands and your acting like five yr olds who've had their favourite toy taken away! I'm not going to repeat myself so listen closely. Grow up and be responsible. We don't have time to focus on petty issues."

Silence.

Henri once again resumed his position of lazily draped across the couch, however, this time, he was tenser.

Zach cleared his throat loudly, all eyes ripping away from Henri and towards the King of the Gods. He gave Henri a grateful smile before continuing. "As I was saying," he continued, "The Minotaur attacked us last night. We need to think of how it found us and where it went. Did someone send it? Does it have a master? Or did it just happen upon us by chance?"

"Well, isn't it obvious," Anna murmured. She glanced up before continuing, "We smell."

A shocked silence ran through the room.

"Excuse me?" Aaron asked, outraged.

She laughed, her voice like tinkling bells. "Not like that. When I was conducting tests on us earlier, I discovered that we give off a different scent then average mortals. The Minotaur probably caught out scent and made a bee-line straight for us. I mean, I imagine we're much better prey then mortals."

There was once again silence.

"Well," Zach began, breaking the silence, "It makes sense. Does anyone have any objections?"

Phe raised her hand, earning her a raised eyebrow from Zach. "I do _not _smell." She pouted.

"It's a nice smell," Anna reassured.

Well, at least that explained the Drakaina I had encountered the day before.

"Getting back to the matter at hand," Zach interrupted, "We still don't know what happened to the Minotaur once it defeated us."

"I killed it," I said quietly. However, my words didn't go unnoticed. All heads swivelled towards me, shocked and disbelieving stares colouring most of their faces. I raised my head higher, refusing to back down beneath the scrutinising stares.

"_You _killed it?" Aaron asked, disbelief colouring his tone, "_Alone?_"

I hesitated. Should I tell them about the Angel and my saviour? Though I did make a decision to tell them earlier, I found myself having second thoughts. Something my saviour had said kept echoing across my mind.

"_Who are you?"_

_He straightened slowly. "You're not ready to know."_

We weren't ready to know. Maybe he was right. Maybe we _weren't _ready to know.

I nodded. "Yes. Alone."

Aaron flew to his feet. "So let me get this straight," he snapped, "I, the God of War, didn't kill it but the _female_ Goddess of the bloody moon did?"

Anger flared through me. How dare him. "How dare you?" I hissed.

Aaron opened his mouth to speak, fury colouring his face, however, before he had a chance to utter a single word, Anna stood and crashed the hilt of her sword into his temple. Silence echoed across the room as Aaron fell to the ground with a _thump! _landing in a tangle of limbs on the carpet.

"What the hell, Anna?" Zach broke the silence.

She shrugged. "Don't try and say you didn't want to do it yourself. Someone had to do it."

I blinked slowly as Anna daintily perched herself on the edge of her chair, once again looking like a very pretty, harmless geek.

It was official. This house was crazy.

Tearing his eyes away from the now oblivious Anna, Zach began, "With recent actions forgotten, are there any more issues that want to be raised?"

"Protection." Helena declared, "That thing just entered our house with no warning. We need warning and the comfort that our house will at least offer some protection and extra time."

"We can't just build a fortress," Anna cut in, "The neighbours would notice if we installed titanium steel doors and retinal scanners at every entrance."

Zach pondered this. "While you do have a point, Anna, so does Helena," he turned to Harry, "Harry, how long would it take you make twenty or so security cameras?"

Harry shrugged. "Three days at the most."

Zach nodded in approval. "When you're done, I want you to take whoever you want and set up the cameras in the forest surrounding the house. Create a perimeter over a few acres. Put the monitors in the Greek room when you're done. Alright?"

He nodded. Zach turned to Anna, "Anna, would you be able to figure out some designs for the house to add extra protection but so it's not entirely noticeable? You'd have to get the alright from Harry when you're done, however, but I trust you to make suitable arrangements."

Anna leaned forwards, eyes glittering dangerously. "It would be my pleasure, Zeus."

Zach gave her a withering stare before turning to address the entire room. "Any more issues that need to be raised?"

I cleared my throat, attracting the attention of the room. Leaning forward, I stated, "I didn't heal Henri."

Zach raised his eyebrows in shock as the room went silent. I knew what they were thinking. I had disobeyed a direct order. "You didn't do what?" Zach asked carefully.

"Heal him," I said simply, "You gave me orders to heal him once he was awake but I didn't need to. He healed himself, without saying a word. The bruises just disappeared."

I glanced briefly at Henri while a gasp rang out around the room. He was reclining against the couch, watching me with mild interest. He seemed like he barely cared. Zach turned to Henri. "Did you know of this?"

Henri shrugged. "Nope but, frankly it doesn't surprise me. My power is super-speed. It makes sense that my healing ability is also sped up."

We looked to Anna for confirmation, who glanced at us in exasperation before confirming, "It makes sense. He is the only one of us who has controlled the super speed so obviously it would be him to have the accelerated healing."

Zach nodded in understanding and, when no one said anything more, called out, "Are there any more issues? Please think carefully before bringing it forward."

When no one answered, he smiled grimly. "Alright then, you're dismissed."

* * *

><p>Surprisingly enough, most of us took the attack in stride.<p>

Uncle Carl had returned home, taken one glance at the immaculate state of the newly repaired house and declared that he was going to leave us at home more often if this was how we treated the house. If only he knew.

Anna and Harry had taken their jobs very seriously. Harry had locked himself in the Greek room, yelling at anyone who dared try to disturb him. It wasn't any better with Anna.

She was a constant source of panic and nervous energy. For a girl who always kept her cool under pressure, Anna was finally beginning show some cracks. She fluttered nervously around the house, taking measurements of this and the price of that. She had lost it at Deanna who had the misfortune of attempting conversation and causing Anna to lose count. We had all come to the conclusion to just leave her alone for the time being.

Aaron, when he had finally woken up, came to the conclusion that sweet, innocent Anna wouldn't have dared knock him out so he fully blamed Alex for his loss of consciousness. Alex was now frantically running from Aaron as he raged through the house, tearing it apart in search for Alex. Alex had disappeared from view an hour ago and, to the frustration of Aaron, had not reappeared for quite some time.

Most likely, he was in a tree again.

Though shocked at first, I had also discovered that Henri seemed to be avoiding me. Since the incident when he caught me running my hands along his chest (a shameful moment), one might think that he would be following me like some love sick puppy. But no. As well as me avoiding him, he was also avoiding me which suited me just fine.

However, he still was an issue. I hated issues especially since this particular one had me having no idea on how to fix it.

This brings me to where I was at that moment. Searching for my brother.

I immediately ruled out the Greek Room as well as the upper floors since Harry has taken over the Greek Room and Aaron firmly believed that Alex was hiding in the upper floors. Only after searching through the first layer of trees by our house did I finally give up. I had no intention of wasting my day searching every single tree in the forest for my brother. Searching the lower levels of the house proved fruitless as well until Phe gave me a priceless piece of advice.

"If you're looking for Alex, honey," Phe confided, filling furiously at her already perfect nails, "Then you should look for Henri. Those two are inseparable and you know as well as I do that you never see one without the other. I think Henri is in the kitchen, actually. Start there."

Though I was momentarily shocked that Phe had noticed something besides her immaculate nails, I did realise that I had another problem. To find the one I'd been looking for, I needed to approach the one I'd been avoiding.

Ironic.

Mumbling under my breath, I strode down the hall towards the kitchen, passing Haden and Po as they watched the news. The reporter was currently talking about two mountains that had mysteriously grown drastically in size somewhere in Greece, and was reported to emit strange sounds at night. As I neared the kitchen, voices began to reach my ears.

I smirked.

It was Henri and Alex. Bingo.

I slowed as I grew closer to kitchen, halting a few feet from the door to listen carefully to what they were saying. I didn't usually eavesdrop but I hadn't had many chances to hear these two speak normally and, judging by their tone, their conversation did sound quite shifty.

"Let me get this straight," Alex was saying, "You want advice on my _twin _sister? The one that swore off men?"

"Long story short, yes."

A sigh. "You've lost it, mate."

"You're one to talk considering where you're speaking to me from."

"Hey," a very indignant voice said, "its cosy in here."

Deciding I heard more than enough, I turned the corner into the kitchen. I was immediately met with the sight of Henri hastily slamming the cupboard below the kitchen counter shut. He forced a smile to his face but it didn't reach his eyes. "Mia," he acknowledged.

I raised an eyebrow. "Who were you talking too Henri?"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, however, before he could speak, another voice spoke out, "He was probably speaking to the Fridge Goblin."

I blinked. Instead of noticing who the voice belonged to or where it was coming from, my attention was more focused on what it had just said.

"The Fridge Goblin?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Ask Henri," the voice chirped.

I glanced at Henri who glaring at the cupboard he had slammed shut previously. "Henri?" I inquired, forcing his name out.

Not meeting my eyes, he told me, "Do you remember when I was acting shifty around the fridge earlier?"

I nodded, narrowing my eyes. "Yes."

"Well, I was planting a prank there but it didn't exactly go to plan. The Fridge Goblin was the outcome."

I blinked. Oh joy, we now had a goblin in our fridge. Just when I thought this place couldn't be crazier.

"Where's my brother, Henri?" I asked, changing the topic.

He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. "Is Aaron with you?"

I scowled, gesturing to myself. "Does it look like he's with me?"

Studying the area around me studiously for a few moments, Henri nodded, opening the cupboard to reveal Alex curled in its depths. "He's in the cupboard," he stated.

My brother glared at Henri. "Traitor."

I blinked. No, my brother wasn't hiding in a tree. He was hiding in a cupboard. In fact, if looks weren't deceiving me, he had been hiding in the cupboard for an _hour. _

By the Gods.

Taking this in stride, I sauntered up to my brother, ignoring Henri. Mumbling something about Helena, Henri strode from the room, not looking back once.

I crouched low to the ground, staring intently at my brother and preparing to speak. Alex held up a hand, halting the process. "Before you start," Alex said tiredly, "I'm guessing you want advice about Henri."

I was taken aback. "How'd you know?"

He shrugged. "Henri was asking the same thing about you."

"But I want him to leave me alone." I inputted hastily.

Almost immediately, a relieved look glazed over Alex's face. "Thank the Gods," he muttered, "I was the happiest person alive when you told me you swore off men because I _cannot_ give that sort of advice if you paid me."

"Thanks Alex," I said sourly, "Can you help me about getting him to go away though?"

He looked shocked. "I don't know. Go to Phe for this kind of stuff. She _is_ the Goddess of love."

"And you're my twin brother!" I retorted.

He sighed. "I'll need to think about it."

My shoulders slumped as Alex reached for the door of the cupboard. "When you say think," I frowned, "You actually mean you're going back into the cupboard, don't you?"

He didn't even bat an eyelash. "Pretty much."

And with that, he swung the door shut. I was just about to leave when a voice spoke up.

"Were you talking to a cupboard, Mia?"

I sighed, rising and turning to see Helena, looking as Queenly as ever, staring at me worry. "I was just voicing about how we needed peanut butter," I said tonelessly.

Helena, however, gobbled this right up. She nodded brightly, sauntering to the fridge. I immediately perked up. Maybe I could get a peek of this alleged Fridge Goblin.

"Want some milk?" Helena asked, placing a hand on the handle.

I shook my head, noticing the head of Henri peering behind the kitchen door. Apparently he was also looking forward to seeing the Fridge Goblin in action.

She shrugged. "Suit yourself."

She opened the door and reached in, hiding herself behind the fridge door. Then she screamed. A long, greyish hand reached out, pushing her across the room and into the wall, followed by a croaky, possessive voice that echoed through the room, "My fridge! Mine!"

Then the door slammed shut.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence as Helena and I stared in shock at the fridge. I was vaguely aware of Henri in a fit of laughter in the hallway.

Finally, Helena whispered, "What was that?"

I responded cheerfully, "The Fridge Goblin," then sauntered from the room.

Though Henri wasn't in my good books at the moment, he did know how to pull a good prank.

* * *

><p><strong>So whatcha think? Please tell me in a review cause I do feel all giddy inside when I see them!<strong>

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	21. Aloadae

**Long time no see! So, here we go!**

**Enjoy :-D**

* * *

><p>Chapter 20<p>

I had taken to watching the News with Haden and Po after I had left the kitchen. Haden had his legs dangling over the arm rest of the armchair, his back leaning against the opposing one while he casually played with a cackling orb of black energy. Po was idly making the water in his glass run circles around the room, going faster and faster each time.

I winced as raised voices echoed through the house.

"Henri Lewis! You get back here right now!" Helena was screaming. Henri had been running from Helena for at least thirty minutes now ever since she found him in hysterics about the Fridge Goblin incident.

To say that he was running would be an understatement. Henri didn't _run _for his life, he _sprinted _as if hell was chasing him, only in the form of the Queen of the Gods.

The News was still on the segment about those two massive mountains in Athens, Greece, this time featuring an interview with a native who was saying that, during a hike, he thought he had heard the hills _groan._

The things people come up with nowadays.

A figure burst into the room, succeeding in making Po lose concentration, the water that had been racing around the room dropping into a puddle on the floor. Haden, however, kept throwing and catching his dark energy ball as if there had been no interruption.

The figure turned out to be Henri as he dived behind the armchair Haden was sitting on, crouching behind it in fear.

It wasn't very long after that when Helena stalked into the room, her eyes immediately zoning on Henri behind the couch. With a triumphant yell, she pounced on him, straddling, before glancing up at us with a self satisfied look.

Then she screamed.

The shrill note of it seemed to pierce my soul. I jerked to a standing position in an instant, my swords in my hands while I scanned the room for danger. Haden calmly stood, the energy ball elongating and expanding until a long broadsword was held in his hands, loosely, professionally. A trident appeared in Po's hand in a flash of blue light and was immediately pointed dangerously at Helena.

She was still screaming.

Henri, growling, rolled over so that he was on top of her, pinning her arms to the ground. For some strange reason, jealousy flashed through me, eradicating all other emotion. I shook it off hastily. It was not an emotion I welcomed.

"Helena!" Henri shouted, successfully cutting her off. She stared up at him with wide eyes. That's when I noticed that the screaming was still going. She hadn't been the only one shrieking.

Our heads snapped towards the TV, where the source of the screaming was now emitting from.

I nearly dropped my sword.

The blonde reporter was gazing at the two mountains behind her in utter terror. The mountains must've been the two she had been talking about, the ones that had apparently groaned. However, from what I was seeing at that moment, that wasn't the only thing they were doing.

The mountains creaked and groaned, as they slowly grew, straightening. They were uncurling themselves, what was once a vast plane of grass becoming a pair of mossy arms, a particularly round bulge becoming the head.

I could barely contain my horror as I watched the hills bloom into two, twenty story giants. They were massive, their entire bodies rippling with unconcealed muscles. Their skin had a slightly mossy tinge to it, a large loincloth the only clothing on their body. Their heads, however, was what really got to me. They weren't like an average mortal's head. They were entirely round and smooth like a newborn babies. Long, tangled beards covered the better part of their faces, tinged an unearthly green like their skin.

They each had rolling eyes that had to be the size of my room, each orb a swirling mass of red. They let out an ear-piercing roar, screams of the mortals surrounding them sounding through the TV.

The roar turned to laughter while one of them took a rumbling step forward, the camera shaking with the impact.

"Zeus!" it roared, laughing maniacally, "We're back!"

Images flashed through my mind, images full of terror and fear, fear that I would have to give myself up to one of these terrifying beasts. I hissed.

"Are those who I think they are?" Haden whispered.

"The Aloadae," Po breathed.

Oh Gods.

* * *

><p>Everyone was panicking.<p>

Zach had entered the room in a flurry of winds, Aaron and Anna flanking him. Ignoring the TV studiously, they took their places as they prepared to conduct a council. Others, however, were less relaxed. It had taken Aaron and Haden together to lift Po into his seat due to the fact he had fallen to his knees, his eyes turning into flat golden discs as he was experiencing a flashback.

Deanna and Phe, along with Helena, began to think that screaming would be a suitable way to let out their fear. Henri was tasked with the job of calming them down while Alex shuffled nervously into the room before hastily taking the seat between me and Anna.

The blond reporter was still on the TV, her previously perfect hair now falling out in large strands. Her voice was struggling to be heard over the screams of pedestrians and the roars of the Aloadae as they stomped through the city a good kilometre or two away.

"Silence!" Zach roared.

The thunder of voices froze immediately, the Gods in the room sitting in their assigned seats. Zach was still standing, golden static and electricity running the length of his body. I had never seen him so angry, his face blazing with fury and his blue eyes cold as ice.

"We have a matter of extreme importance, here," he hissed, his voice rising to a shout, "And we're acting like toddlers! Get a grip on yourselves!"

The silence that seemed to weigh down upon us once he had finished was thick with tension, however, Zach didn't seem to notice this. Taking a seat, he addressed Anna, "Athena, what can you make of this?"

I winced at his use at our true names. This was serious.

Anna shook her head, a few stray tendrils of hair escaping from her ponytail. "I don't know," she whispered, placing her head in her hands, "I've never been so confused in my life."

She glanced hopelessly at the TV, Zach waiting patiently for her to continue. "I have no idea what to do," she told us, "But I can confirm that their the Aloadae, Otus and Ephialtes. But that changes nothing. I still don't know what to do."

Helena regally stood, looking every ounce of a Queen as she presented, "I don't understand why the Aloadae our problem. We don't need to solve the mortal's problems. I say let them deal with it."

Horror flashed across Po's face. "How can you say that! Of course it _our _problem! Their Greek Monsters and we're Greek Gods! Do you really think that the mortals and their silly toy guns would stand a chance against the Aloadae?"

"All I'm saying," Helena began haughtily, "Is that _their_ in Greece and we're in America. The only reason we're even panicked about this is because we, as reincarnations of the Greek Gods, feel like it's our duties. Well, newsflash, we're only _reincarnations. _We're still teenagers."

"It's our duty," Zach said carefully, "Because it's the right thing to do. Now sit down Helena before you stress yourself."

She huffed, perching herself on the armchair. "Fine. I'll help but we still don't know how to kill them."

Zach nodded mutely while Aaron leaped to his feet, fury lining his face. "Who cares if we don't know how!" he yelled, brandishing his sword, "We'll attack and thrash them into the ground. Simple as that!"

I shook my head. "It won't work Aaron. We don't know _how _to kill them or if there is something that we have to do before hand. We need a plan."

He scoffed. "We don't need a plan. War is never planned! It's nothing but violence and blood lust between great cities and countries. We'll surprise them and beat them into submission!"

Anna shook her head. "Mia's right, Aaron. It's too dangerous to charge in there without a plan. We could be killed."

Anger flashed across his face mixed with a sick, almost malicious, hope. "Then let me go in by myself! I can defeat them by myself and even if I don't, which I doubt, I'll be able to buy you time! Just let me fight!"

"No, Ares." Zach's voice was cold, emotionless.

Aaron shook his head. "C'mon, Zeus! Let me fight and I'll-"

"I said no, Ares," Zach repeated, standing slowly. That was a bad sign.

"Bu-"

"No!" Zach yelled, "I said no and that is final! It is too dangerous to stroll merrily into the brawl without a plan. Case closed, Aaron, now sit down."

Aaron didn't sit down. He glared at Zach with enough venom to burn a hole into the wall but Zach just merely sat in his chair once again, calm serenity replacing his once fury filled features.

"Fine!" Aaron spat, a very impressive looking vein pulsing at his temple, "Have it your way, _my King,_"

Looking very much like he wanted to stab Zach multiple times, Aaron stalked out of the room, slamming the French doors shut behind him. The doors slammed together so hard, several large cracks appeared in the glass.

Several people in the room flinched at Aaron's sudden ferocity but Zach just stared at the cracks with a disinterested look.

"As I was saying," he began, the gazes of the others returning to him, "We need a plan. We can't just barge in there and tell them to put their hands in the air. We're not _that _powerful yet. Are there any ideas?"

His question was met with silence. Most minds were still focused on Aaron storming out. Aaron's temper was never something you wanted to be in the middle of. He had been known to do incredibly stupid and rash things in a mood and I could tell that most were worried that he would do exactly that.

The Gods knew I was.

Zach sighed. "Alright then, let's brainstorm."

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><p>Brainstorming was overrated.<p>

No one could think let alone say a coherent sentence. Words seemed to be sliding off ears, the possible ideas having so many faults, it was amazing it was even an idea. On an even more depressing note, every single possibility we came up with all had the same outcome.

One of us dying.

Zach, Haden and Po had remained vigilant throughout the entire meeting, constantly throwing out ideas; however, even they were exhausted. Most of the girls had fallen asleep, Phe in the crook of Harry's arm and Helena with Deanna on a couch. I, no matter how much I wanted to, refused to sleep. My mind kept taking me to the last time the Aloadae had been a threat to us. They had requested Hera and me in exchange for Ares when they had locked him in a pithos for a lunar year.

I had given myself up and, changing form into a doe, jumped between the brothers in an attempt to escape. They had both thrown their spears at me, however, they missed, piercing and killing each other instead.

Anna had voiced that we should simply repeat history but Zach said wisely that they would be expecting that and Henri immediately snapped that it would be too dangerous for me. His protectiveness was annoying.

I knew we had been talking for a long time when Deanna finally woke up, voicing tiredly that she would see if she could scrounge up some food for us and perhaps find Aaron. She couldn't leave the room faster.

Zach sighed, cutting off all conversation as we looked at him. He rubbed a hand across his forehead, glancing briefly at the News where the blonde was reporting the havoc the Aloadae had been wrecking in Athens.

"Are you alright, honey?" Helena asked, placing a dainty hand on Zach.

Zach didn't get to answer.

A scream sounded through the house. Only moments later, Deanna burst into the room, her eyes wild and tears streaming down her face. "He's gone," she cried, "He's gone!"

Phe let out a sudden shriek from the noise, falling off the edge of her chair and out of Harry's arms. Helena, meanwhile, leapt to her feet, hurrying to Deanna and attempting to calm her down.

"Deanna, take a deep breath," she soothed, "Now tell us what happened?"

Deanna hiccupped. "In the hallway. It's in the hallway."

Helena nodded in a motherly way. "Let's take a look, shall we?"

We watched curiously as Helena muttered a few soothing words and walked, with Deanna, out of the room. No one spoke as we watched them disappear. We were all anxious for some action.

Then we heard Helena swear.

Helena was a wholesome, American girl who often mothered her friends and complimented the geeks. She looked down on swearing and, besides her occasional bursts of spitefulness or flashes of jealousy, you would never find a nicer girl then Helena Lewis. But, at that moment, she let loose a string of swear words in Ancient Greek that made me rethink what I knew about her. Let's just say they were pretty impressive, lengthy swear words.

For a moment, the occupants in the room shared a look. Then we bounded to our feet and crowded by the French doors, clambering and pushing for a better look at whatever made Helena swear.

I growled as Haden pushed me into the frame to get a better view, pushing him back just as someone jostled my back. I could not think of a moment where we acted more immature then at that moment.

I was once again roughly shoved into the door frame as Zach pushed us aside, parting us so that he could walk to where Helena was with Deanna. She and Deanna were crowded around a rough chalk drawing on the floor. The chalk lines connected to make a pentagram.

Scorch marks were gathered at the centre, smoke rising from each of the five points.

Zach frowned down at the pentagram for a moment then turned to face us.

"Hades," he snapped and Haden stepped forward, "What can you make of this?"

Gazing at the pentagram for one intense moment, Haden crouched down by it, placing his hands tenderly against the chalk outline. His face paled.

Straightening, he told us, "Hecate was a known companion of Hades and, from her, I learnt a few tricks about sorcery," he gestured to the chalk shape, "That particular pentagram is used for transportation. Aaron must've used it to leave the house."

"But how did he know how to use it?" Po interrupted.

Haden glanced at the floor sheepishly. "I was practicing a couple of Greek spells a few days back. Aaron was watching when I performed the transportation spell."

"Can you tell us where he went?" Zach spoke smoothly.

However, Haden didn't have a chance to speak. Before he could even open his mouth, Phe whispered, "I can tell you."

Zach glanced sharply at Phe, as well as everyone else. She was facing the lounge instead of the hallway, her eyes wide as she focused on the TV. "Where is he?"

She pointed at the TV. "There."

Our eyes followed to where she was pointing. I frowned as the blonde reporter's words finally registered. "A mystery man has seemed to appear on the scene, dressed in what could only be described as ancient Greek battle armour. It seems this man is under the impression he can save us from this terrible threat. Let's take a closer look."

The scene changed, showing the two giants, Otus and Ephialtes. However, below them, barely higher than their toe, was Aaron, in the golden armour of Ares.

He was waving his sword idiotically at the Aloadae, shouting incomprehensible words. I paled.

What in the name of the Gods did he think he was doing? Was he trying to get himself killed!

Otus laughed. "Brother, it seemed Zeus has sent our favourite warrior to overcome us. How pitiful."

Ephialtes looked as if he was barely containing his amusement. "Why, my dear brother, I agree. Shall we let history repeat itself?"

Otus grinned. It was a grin that sent shivers down my spine. "Yes, why yes we shall."

So quick I nearly missed it, Otus plucked Aaron from the ground with one hand, a rather large pithos appearing in the other. My jaw dropped open as Otus cheerfully threw Aaron into the bronze, oversized jar.

A loud _thump! _echoed through the room as Phe fainted.

Ephialtes laughed joyfully yet I couldn't help but notice the maliciousness that underlined it. "History is repeating itself, Zeus!" he declared, "We shall give you your precious Ares in exchange for your fair wife, Hera, and your beautiful daughter, Artemis! You have a day or the God of War will be no more. We await you decision anxiously."

I stiffened, my mind clouding over. I was dimly aware of the room going into an outrage, Alex tugging at my sleeve with concerned eyes.

I didn't move. I could barely breathe. I could easily remember what it was like last time to be in their possession. It was the only time I had felt like a defenceless woman.

And now they wanted me _again._

I realised that Alex was saying something. Tiredly, I allowed his words to penetrate the fog that clouded my mind. "Mia," he was whispering, "Calm down and take a seat. We would _never _let them take you."

I nodded mutely, following him like a lost puppy as he led me to my chair, perching on the edge of it absent-mindedly. Henri was sitting beside me, a look of barely controlled rage decorating his features as he glared at the TV screen.

That's when it fully hit me.

They wanted me. _Me. _Like I was some porcelain doll to be bought from a shop window. They wanted a trophy wife, someone to subdue and tease and that would be exactly what they would do to me if they captured me.

If I didn't kill them first.

Rage boiled inside of me. Alex, noticing this sudden change in my emotions, wisely scooted away from me, placing a pillow in between us as an acting barrier. I gripped the armrests of my chair in fury, my knuckles turning white from the tension. I was barely aware of myself attracting a few scared glances as a static crackled around me, causing my hair to stand on end.

"For the Gods sake, Mia," I heard Zach snap, "Calm down. We have a matter at our hands at the moment."

Of course we did. We _always _did. Even so, I calmed myself down, my hair floating around me in waves as it resumed its normal state. I returned my attention to Zach.

"Due to recent discoveries," he fumed, "We have a much greater problem on our hands then we originally thought. We still have no plan on how to stop these beings and now we have a time limit or else Ares will be killed."

A gasp of horror echoed across the room. Anna banged her fist on the glass coffee table, a large crack appearing where she touched it. She, however, seemed barely affected by it. "We don't have enough _time, _Zach. To organise a well thought out attack and goal, we need _time _which, thanks to that bloody idiot, we don't have any more. I'm sorry to say, but we won't come up with an adequate plan in," she glanced at her watch, "four hours."

I tuned out the conversation as Zach viciously began to argue back. I could see that everyone would had already taken sides, many arguing with Anna as well as against her.

She was right. We didn't have enough time and the only way we would is if we gave up either me or Helena to satisfy them.

My blood ran cold. That was it. If we didn't have time, then we needed to obtain it, no matter what I may have to sacrifice to get it.

I knew what to do.

"We need time, right?" I whispered. My voice barely travelled through the room yet everyone snapped their jaws shut as if I had screamed the words.

Zach nodded at me curiously while I slowly rose to my feet. "Yes, we do."

I swallowed, preparing myself. "Then I'll give you time. Give me to the Aloadae and say that Hera is still preparing and won't be delivered for three days. Say that we will only give her to them if they do not destroy Athens until then though. They won't mind," I faltered, "They'll be too occupied with me to notice."

Silence.

The entire room was looking at me in shock, no one daring to speak. Zach broke the silence.

"Are you sure about this, Artemis?" he asked quietly.

Henri glanced at Zach in outrage. "You're not actually considering this, Zach?" he demanded, "She'll be killed and you know it!"

Zach didn't bat an eyelash. "Artemis? Are you sure?"

I nodded. "Absolutely."

Zach leaned back in his armchair, eyeing me carefully. "It's decided then. Artemis will give herself up for three days to allow us more time. Your sacrifice is noted."

No one spoke. No one dared to breathe. Everyone was still staring up at me in shock

"Mia?" Henri hissed, standing abruptly, "Can we talk in private?"

I nodded stiffly, following him as he stormed out of the room, aware of everyone watching us as we did. I closed the doors carefully behind us, anxious not to be heard. Whatever Henri had to say, I had a feeling it was going to be explosive.

I turned, carefully keeping my face impassive as I leaned against the wall. Henri leaned on the wall across from me, his eyes dark.

"You don't have to do it, Mia." He finally said. It almost pained me to see him like that. He looked _hurt. _His eyes were haunted, the sparkle gone from the emeralds.

I shook my head. "I do."

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "You don't. There are other ways, I'm sure.

"Yes," I said impatiently. He just wasn't seeing the point, "And to think of those other ways, we need time, don't we Henri? That's exactly the reason why I'm doing it."

"I know but," he ran his fingers through his hair, "We still have four hours, we can-"

"No, Henri," I interrupted, "We can't. I've made my decision. Now, deal with it."

He growled and, before I could even register what he was doing, he crossed the distance between us, pushing me against the wall. I sucked in air as he placed one hand at the small of my back, yanking me closer to him while the other hand rested beside my head, completely trapping me against him. I was all too aware of how close he was to me. I could see every detail on his face, including the stormy emerald eyes that seemed to see into my soul.

I had been right. He _did _have a haunted look about him. He obviously didn't want me to go.

"You can get hurt, Mia," he breathed, his breath tickling my cheek, "You could _die."_

"I know," I said softly.

"Then don't go! Please! For me."

I gazed at him. He wasn't strong anymore. He was showing me a vulnerability I had never seen before. Pain flashed through me at this. I had reduced him to begging. It almost made feel like I should've stayed home, safe from the terrors of the Aloadae.

Almost.

"I'm sorry, Henri."

Scowling, Henri released me, taking a step back. All previous emotion disappeared from him, a hard mask replacing the vulnerability. "Fine," he snapped.

I kept my face neutral, not letting a single emotion cross my face as he stalked off down the hall and up the stairs, disappearing from my sight.

I knew I had made the right decision. I knew I had.

Henri just couldn't see it.

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><p><strong>OH! How do you like it? Feedback would be GREAT! Do you think you can guess what will happen?<strong>

**Thank you SO MUCH for reading, since your comments and hit make me feel all fuzzy inside. You are the greatest reader I could've ever asked for :-D**


	22. Author's Note

**Hey guys! I'm back :-D**

**Omg, this has been EPIC so far! I'm just here to give you a little sneak peak of the next chapter as well as a tiny bit of info on the up and coming. There will only be FOUR more chapter left! It's scary to think that, after so long, the journey is finally coming to an end. Either way, I want to know what you want? Who do you like the best? Who do you like the worst? Why? Because even though this story will end, Mia's journey won't end quite yet. You'll have to read the final author's note to understand but, until then, live in suspense ;)**

**Here we go! A sneak Peak!**

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><p>When I opened my eyes, the dress I had seen all those months ago now clung to <em>my <em>curves. I glared at it in loathing. I absolutely hated dresses. Last time I had worn one, I was five years old and I had been forced to be babysat by a good looking teenage boy who was our closest neighbour. I had been a flirtatious toddler.

I couldn't say the same for teenage self, however.

Otus and Ephialtes seemed to love my dress though. They stared at me hungrily. I could almost see them undressing me with their minds. I narrowed my eyes and mentally counted to ten.

I really needed to start mediating again.

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><p><strong>See you soon !<strong>


	23. Desert Bloom

**Alright guys, just to warn you but this chapter might feel like simply a filler to you. I really like it though (ignoring the Aloadae, of course) and I hope you enjoy it as well :-D**

**Enjoy then :P**

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><p>Chapter 21<p>

Zach wanted me to leave straight away.

All of my siblings had gathered around the pentagram while I stood at the centre. I had changed into the brown leather pleated skirt and bronze breast plate I had worn when first becoming Artemis. My double scimitars were strapped securely to my back while I held my bow, the arrows in a satchel at my waist. Quivers were useless for me due to the swords on my back. I had also tucked a dagger in each bracer, hoping desperately that I wouldn't need them.

Phe had taken the time to French braid my hair, her fingers nimbly taking each strand and twisting it into something that would take me hours to complete. I wanted to stay there forever, to forget that she was preparing me for giving myself away as a willing hostage.

There had been a slight argument about whether I should wear a more _appealing _outfit but I quickly silenced that argument. It was humiliating enough to subject myself to a _man, _but it would be unbearable to try and dress to _please _said man.

It disgusted me.

"So," I began quietly, addressing Haden, "How does this work?"

He gave me a pitying look. "While I'm chanting, you just think of where you want to go. Make sure its specific or you might end up in Zimbabwe."

I nodded briefly, gripping my bow. I took some comfort in it.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I squared my shoulders. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Taking a step back, he began to mutter ancient Greek under his breath, the words blurring together into one jumbled heap. I cast my eyes towards my siblings, searching the crowd for one face in particular. He wasn't there.

Henri wasn't there.

I kept my face impassive as Haden increased the tempo of his muttering.I didn't care that Henri wasn't there. No. It was his choice he didn't want to watch me possibly go to my death. I didn't blame him for it.

Even so, I couldn't help myself but switch my gaze to the staircase, hoping, only slightly, that he was perhaps watching from there. My breath caught when I saw he was.

He was leaning against the banister, his face staring at the whole ritual in distaste. I smirked. Good old Henri.

The muttering grew louder and I closed my eyes. I let a single thought eradicate all others, my mind focused solely on that one thing.

Athens, Greece.

That transportation Haden had forced me through was nothing like my teleportation. We had decided the teleportation had been too risky due to I'd only ever teleported within my own country. We had no idea what would happen if I attempted global teleportation and, frankly, I didn't want to find out.

I felt as if I was being ripped apart, every particle of my being was yanked and scattered over the world. Blackness enveloped me, strangling me, cutting off my breath. I felt as if someone had sunk a hook into my stomach and was dragging me threw a narrow tube.

I jerked as the hook viciously ripped itself from my stomach. I stumbled to my feet, my vision clearing.

I thought I was going to throw up.

Next time Haden's offering that transportation, I would stick to my teleportation.

All I could see was smoke. The occasional low stone building would loom from the darkness, illuminated by the full moon before it would quickly, once again, disappear into the haze. People were screaming, children were crying and yells of torment filled the air while, in the background, the ferocious laughs of the Aloadae echoed through the streets of Athens.

I wasted no time. I ran in the direction of the shouts, dodging the fleeing people. I could see the looks they gave me. Who would want to run _towards _the monsters?

Slowly, the smoke began to clear, even more shadows and shapes emerging from the haze. The shrieks had grown louder, the very earth beginning to rumble as the laughter's volume increased dramatically.

Two large shapes began to unfold in the vapour, easily taller than two twenty story buildings. Slowly, the picture began to be more clear, the figures of the Aloadae rising to meet me.

I froze.

What I had seen on the TV hadn't prepared me for what I saw then.

They were lounged lazily across four different buildings each, amusing themselves by plucking the occasional pieces of debris from the ground and challenging each other to see who could throw it the farthest. A large, bronze pithos, easily twice the size of me, was perched beside the Giant with a tangled red beard.

No mortals were near the giants as I edged closer. Most of them had probably fled as soon as the mountains had unfurled themselves. However, a helicopter was buzzing a few hundred metres away, probably catching the antics of the Aloadae on tape for the News.

Stupid Reporters.

"Aloadae!" I shouted, placing my feet firm on the ground. I was only perhaps fifty metres away from them, "Aloadae!"

One of the brothers, the one with black beard, squinted his eyes at me. "What's this? A mortal? Otus, it appears we have company."

Otus frowned, staring at me. I held my ground while he gave me a once over, realisation dawning on his face. Malicious glee soon replaced it. "My, my," he leered, "Ephialtes, our dear Artemis has made her appearance," he lowered his head in a mock bow, "Your beauty is as rare as a desert bloom, my dear flower."

I shuddered slightly at his compliment. This _thing _disgusted me. "I'm not here to accept your flattery, Otus. I am here to exchange myself for Ares."

Ephialtes folded his massive arms across his chest. "If I remember, the arrangement was for you _and _Hera."

I raised my head higher. "Hera is Queen of the Gods. She needs to make arrangements for things to still run smoothly in her absence. She will be presented in three days but _only _if you do not destroy this city beforehand."

For a brief moment, they gazed at me suspiciously. Fear hit me that they wouldn't believe me but it was soon swept away as Otus lowered his hand before me. I glanced at it in distaste before glaring up at the horrid giant.

"Ares, if you please," I hissed.

He shrugged, snatching the pithos from his side with the other hand. My breath caught in my throat as he threw the pithos to the ground, the bronze shattering into a million pieces. The remaining bronze pieces disappeared in a flash of light, revealing an unconscious Aaron lying on the ground. He looked as if he had been through Tartarus and back.

"Make haste, my flower. We've upheld our part of the bargain."

I glanced up at Otus and, swallowing my pride, stepped up onto his hand. I closed my eyes as he raised his hand higher, until it was level with his face. It was the weirdest sensation to have the wind pound upon your face but to not be the one to move.

I opened my eyes warily to see Otus' deep red ones leering at me. I met them with the most venomous glare I could muster. He laughed. "You've changed, my flower," he growled, "You're younger in appearance yet your personality reminds specifically of the last time I saw you. Right before you had my brother kill me."

I maintained my ground as the humour switched to rage. "Promise that you will plan no trouble for me and my brother, Artemis," he hissed.

I frowned at his choice of words. "I promise."

He let out a bark of laughter. "Swear on the River Styx," he ordered.

I froze. I couldn't swear on the River Styx. I fully planned on being trouble for the brothers when my siblings finally came up with their plan. Plan. _Their _plan.

I grinned. I could make the promise easily. He would just probably misunderstand me.

"I, Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto," I purred, "Swear on the River Styx that I will plan no trouble for you and your brother."

I felt the power of the words rush through me before they even left my lips. They were binding me to my promise, trapping me within the invisible barriers. However, a part of me knew the barriers could easily be broken.

He nodded in satisfaction, obviously not catching the double meaning underlining my words. "Now that we've solved that tiny technicality, let's move on to more pressing matters."

"Such as?" I asked sweetly, forcing myself to adopt a more civilised tone. If only Phe could see me now. She would be so proud of me.

Otus noticed this and grinned, revealing a row of yellow, jagged teeth. His putrid breath hit me like a wave, reminding me of that prank Henri and Alex once played in the Science lab at the High School. If remembered correctly, they _accidentally _filled then entire school with toxic fumes that were reportedly carrying a deadly disease. I resisted the urge to laugh.

"Your beauty is so magnificent, my flower," he complimented. I had to stop the urge to throw up, "yet you don't live up to your true potential."

I raised my eyebrows in shock, all civilised manners forgotten. "Excuse me?"

"Your clothes remind me of battle," he said bluntly, "Change into something more _appealing._"

Oh, that loathsome, evil, foul cockroach did _not _just ask me to do that. I clenched my fists, willing myself to calm down. If I ruined this for my siblings now, I would never forgive myself.

Instead I forced myself to smile demurely up at Otus, nodding in agreement. Well, I had hoped it was demure. I'd never had to exactly appear demure before so my demure smile probably resembled a grimace of pain.

"Of course," I said through clenched teeth, "Did you have anything specific in mind, _Otus._"

He gave a possessive look to his brother who was staring at me with barely concealed lust. I couldn't wait to run him through with a sword.

Otus turned back to me. "Do you remember that silver gown you wore to the Summer Solstice all those years ago?"

I was pretty sure I didn't but if all those times I was forced through the torture of shopping with Phe were put into consideration, I could probably scrounge something up. Focusing my mind on the clothes I wore, I imagined a silver gown I had once seen Phe try on. It was simple. A dress with a corseted waist and V-neck yet it clung modestly to her curves.

Focusing on the bronze and leather, I imagined the texture changing to something more suitable to what Otus wanted. Silk perhaps.

When I opened my eyes, the dress I had seen all those months ago now clung to _my _curves. I glared at it in loathing. I absolutely hated dresses. Last time I had worn one, I was five years old and I had been forced to be babysat by a good looking teenage boy who was our closest neighbour. I had been a flirtatious toddler.

I couldn't say the same for teenage self, however.

Otus and Ephialtes seemed to love my dress though. They stared at me hungrily. I could almost see them undressing me with their minds. I narrowed my eyes and mentally counted to ten.

I really needed to start mediating again.

"You look ravishing, my flower," Otus cooed, a smirk working up his face, "Now, let's talk about our _living _arrangements."

* * *

><p>I had stopped listening about three hours ago.<p>

He had went into vivid detail about the palace on Mt. Olympus he and Ephialtes were going to build Hera and myself right after they murdered the Gods before our eyes. Once he had finished the particular rant, he began to explain colourfully what exactly I needed to do to please him each night.

Ignoring those words were best for me since I would've threatened to strangle him with his own entrails if I had heard any more.

I had gazed over the city of Athens. It was just as gorgeous as I imagined it with the low, marble and limestone buildings and bronze statues depicting of the Greek Gods. A distance off, the sound of waves crashing could be heard. If I looked just right, I could even capture a glimpse of the ocean as it blended in with the night sky. It glittered as it moved as if it had a mind of its own, revelling in its own freedom. I could understand why Po loved it so much.

The night sky held a thousand flaming stars, the full moon hanging in the sky. I took power from it, bathing in its glow. I wanted to stay there forever.

The only thing that I hated about the night sky, then, was the helicopter buzzing around the heads of the Aloadae. I could tell that they enjoyed the attention, saying the publicity would strike the fear needed to take over the world. I resisted the urge to scoff at that.

I had to turn my face away from the helicopter every time it came into my view. I didn't want a picture of my face to turn up on the news with the caption '_Artemis_' underlining it.

I had noticed quite a while ago that Aaron had disappeared from where he had laid previously, the coward most probably running back home. A part of me was incredibly impatient for my siblings. I wanted desperately for them to appear on that horizon, coming with a plan that would put the Trojan horse to shame.

But I knew they wouldn't.

It hadn't even been a day let alone three, and they would spend as much time on the plan as possible before finally putting it into action.

Or at least I thought they would.

I had been ignoring the Aloadae for another hour when I finally saw them.

At first I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Eleven figures were walking towards the Aloadae, their bodies' only shadows. I could see how they walked, full of an unusual grace and confidence that it almost sent a bolt of fear through me.

Why would eleven mortals walk the streets of Athens when the Aloadae were here?

It seemed the helicopter had also noticed the figures because it soon buzzed away from the Aloadae, the figures drawing its attention like a fly with honey.

I narrowed my eyes at the figures, studying their every movement. If I wasn't sure, I would've almost fooled myself into recognizing the gait of a few of them, the way they held their swords loosely and professionally by their sides.

Wait. Swords?

My face broke out in a beatific grin.

I could see it now. Zach in the centre with Haden and Po flanking his sides, Aaron's massive bulk and equally massive sword held ready in one hand and the cocky gait of Henri. They were here, in plain sight, as if they couldn't care less about the Aloadae seeing them.

Well. This was going to be fun.

The voice of Otus jerked me from my reverie. "My flower, step away from the edge," he ordered, "You'll fall."

I turned to face him, trickling power into my dress as I moulded it back into my original battle gear, all my weapons once again strapped securely to my body. Otus watched this process suspiciously, his eyes narrowed. "What are you trying, Artemis?" he hissed, "Change back immediately!"

"I'm sorry Otus," I grinned, taking a step closer to the edge, "But you can't make me."

"I am your husband," he snapped.

I sighed. "See, _that _is where you're wrong. I'm the maiden Goddess, Artemis. I don't _date, _I don't fall in _love, _I don't _marry _and I shall never have children. Have I made myself clear?"

His hand was shaking in rage. "You swore you wouldn't plan trouble for my brother and I."

"I assure you," I smirked, taking another step back until my heels were resting on thin air, "I did _not _plan this. I just go with the flow."

Then, taking a deep breath, I leaned backwards and fell into the night sky.

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><p><strong>How do you like it? Can you give me any guesses on what you think will happen?<strong>

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**Until next time, my lovelies**


	24. Greek Flames

**You know how you get that sense of terribly cliche stuff? Well, I think this is one of tose chapters. I still love it with all my heart though and I hope you love it too :-D**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 22<p>

I was falling.

I wasn't aware of anything except for the wind as it spread my hair around me, whipping it back. The Aloadae were roaring in fury, their hands swiping through the air to try in their catch me but I could barely hear them. I focused on the moon as I fell, feeling its power course through me.

I closed my eyes.

I found myself, once again, in the vast wasteland, the sand whipping around my feet. Instead of a red sun beating down upon me, however, an amethyst moon had taken its place, the stars twinkling like a thousand fireflies. For a brief moment, I stood there, taking in my surroundings, feeling the breeze on my face. Then it disappeared.

I was still falling but, this time I could almost _sense _I was only a few metres from the ground. Twisting my body, I landed lithely on the ground, my hands nimbly touching the floor before straightening. Almost immediately shadows crowded around me, blocking my surroundings from view. They gathered around me in a circle, pushing forward until I was forced to walk with them. A figure stepped forwards into the moonlight, revealing his golden halo of hair and pearly white smile. I grinned as Alex engulfed me in a hug, wrapping my arms around him. My hands brushed rough leather and I instantly knew he was dressed for battle. In fact, I knew that if I looked at my siblings, I would see them in similar outfits.

He pulled back and ran his hand through his hair. My smile softened at the familiar habit of my brother's.

"Are you alright, Artemis?" he asked, his eyes quickly scanning my body for any injury.

I frowned slightly at his use of my true name but I ignored it. "I'm absolutely fine, Ale-"

"Don't call me that," he interrupted.

"Why not?"

His eyes, almost instinctively, wandered to the helicopter buzzing around the sky. "We don't want the reporters recording our faces or hearing our names. It's why we're staying in the shadows. It's going to be even harder when we attack though."

I unsheathed my swords, letting them hang loosely at my sides. My siblings were crowded around me, their eyes focused solely on the Aloadae in front of us. From what I could tell, we were in one of the streets a few hundred metres away from the giants, though they still towered over the buildings, their bulk easy to see.

They let out a single ear-piercing roar, the sound echoing across the streets. I could see them inspecting the streets of Athens with a look of barely controlled rage, their eyes flashing red. "Artemis!" Otus shouted, "Return and your punishment shall not be too severe."

I hissed, my grip tightening on my swords. It took all of my will-power not too leap out and attack them there and then. But no, I wasn't going to shatter the plan my siblings had so carefully constructed.

"Now!"

The word shouted broke me from my reverie. I snapped my head up as the circle broke, Alex darting away and melting into the shadows. A figure appeared by my side, unlike the others. I could tell it was female because of her figure, a sword hanging from her waist. In her hand was a shiny bronze shield with a gorgon head carved into the metal.

"Come with me, Artemis," Anna whispered, her hand grasping my wrist. I let her drag me into a narrow side street, sticking to the shadows as all signs of my family disappeared. The Aloadae were still yelling, their voices filled with fury and rage.

It almost made me laugh.

They were so frantic to find me that they didn't realise what was occurring right in front of their eyes. At the end of the night, though, I was absolutely sure that they would be lucky to even have their eyes. I would make sure of that.

We halted in the shadow of a dumpster, crouching low to the ground. I took this as a cue. "What's the plan, Athena?" I asked, studying the alley with a trained eye. It was dark and damp and smelt like what every alley in the world did; faintly of cats.

Anna silently drew her sword, her eyes glinting dangerously. "We're splitting into three different groups," she explained quietly, "Aphrodite, Demeter and Apollo are staying away from the battle so that they can deal with the injuries that may happen. Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera will be the distraction while we, Hermes and Ares will attempt to send Greek Fire into the Aloadae's stomachs through their mouths."

I nodded, realisation dawning on my face, "Greek Fire will only burn as long as it has a mission and, since no weapon can penetrate their skin, the fire will burn them inside out," I grinned, "It's brilliant but what of Hephaestus?"

"He's prepared a store of weapons so that if we lose ours, he'll be able to give us replacements," she murmured, "The building is to the south of here, three streets down. If you run out of arrows, go there _immediately. _We can't afford distractions."

I nodded once again as she stood, scowling. "Where _are _they?" she snapped, all stealth abandoned. As soon as the words left her mouth, a figure dropped lightly to the ground in front of us.

I didn't waste any time. By the time I had realise what I was doing, one sword was behind the figure's neck, the other pointed at the throat.

The figure raised his hands into air in surrender just as another emerged behind him. Then the figure spoke. "This was not really the welcome I was expecting."

I sighed witheringly, lowering my weapons while Henri lowered his hands. Aaron stepped from the shadows behind him, a smirk decorating his features.

"I would pay money just to see you kick Hermes ass, Artemis," he told me, scowling at Henri who was merely gazing at him with a bored expression.

"Money that you don't have since I stole it all," Henri mused.

Aaron growled, clenching his fists as he gritted his teeth.

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off as Anna snapped, "Get a grip on yourselves! We need to gain height or Poseidon's distraction will smother us."

I raised my eyebrows in shock. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said," she answered grimly, "Can you get a rope to the top of the building, Artemis?"

"Of course. I need a rope though," I told her.

She gestured to Henri. I turned to him, noticing the rope coiled around his shoulders. Face emotionless, he handed the rope to me, our hands brushing as I took it. A prickling sensation ran the length of my body but I ignored it.

Now was not the time.

Taking an arrow from my quiver, I quickly tied the end of the rope to the arrow, checking to make sure it was secure. The alley was silent as I shot the arrow into the night sky, barely taking the time to aim but knowing instantly that it would make its mark.

I was right. The arrow soared gracefully through the air, landing with precision at the very edge of the building. I tugged slightly on the rope, checking if it was secure before stepping back, gesturing for the others to climb.

Aaron eyed it warily. "Are you sure it's safe?"

Scoffing, Anna pushed past him and practically _leapt _on to the rope, shimmying to the top within seconds. I watched with mild amusement as Aaron still looked at the rope with suspicion, Henri rising a few feet into the air behind him before soaring into the sky.

Rolling my eyes at Aaron, I took the rope in my hands, clinging to it as I pushed off the ground. For a brief moment, all I could feel was the burn of exercise and the tough texture of the rope scratching at my skin. Then I heaved myself onto the roof, ending the moment abruptly. I stood, my eyes taking in the night sky. The heavens were glittering down upon us, the stars winking playfully as if giving us luck. I was barely aware of Aaron finally reaching the roof when my eyes switched to Anna. She was crouching low at the opposite end of the building, her sword ready in her hand.

I wandered over to her, hardly aware of Henri striding along beside me. We crouched by Anna and, like her, gazed out over the street. We didn't speak. We didn't acknowledge each other. We didn't even dare to breath. Though I knew nothing of the plan, I had seen enough to know that something big was going to happen soon.

The Aloadae had stood from their make-shift chairs, their roars causing the ground to tremble, debris crumbling from the edge of the building. They didn't notice when a dark figure slowly strode to the centre of the street before us, her golden hair swaying slightly in the breeze. She waited a few moments and, when they still did not realise she was there, shouted, "Aloadae! You've been noticed!"

Like lightning, their heads snapped towards the girl, narrowing their gazes. I expected them to smile but instead Ephialtes scowled, "My lovely Hera, though we are not upset to see you, the agreement was for you _and _Artemis. However, the latter has fled, leaving our arrangement meaningless. If she does not return to us, this city shall be destroyed!"

Otus nodded his agreement, a cruel smile playing at his lips. They looked brutal, their fists clenched as they coldly stared Helena down.

For a moment, she said nothing. A faint rushing could be heard as they awaited her reply, almost like a running waterfall. "I was hoping you would say that, Aloadae," she yelled, "For you see, this night, you will learn what happens to those who anger the Gods!"

The rushing was louder now, filling my senses. A briny scent was rich in the damp air, reminding me of the sea.

Then I saw him.

I glanced down the road Helena was standing on, noticing that it stretched all the way to the sea. Barely visible, was a figure, standing where the horizon met the ocean. His arms were raised, the distinct shape of a trident in his hands. However, that wasn't what caught my eye. What caught my eye was the ocean.

It was nothing but a churning, swirling mass, rising into the air like a single, unmovable wall. I felt my mouth open in shock as the water, like a single unit, surged forwards, bending around Po and rushing down the road. It didn't spread through to any of the side streets; it merely surged through the one path, directly towards the Aloadae.

Helena didn't seem to notice the quickening body of water that was nearing her. She simply smirked as the water enveloped he small form..

I gasped, narrowing my eyes as I frantically searched the water for her, panic flooding me. Had she been swept up with the wave? No. Po wouldn't have allowed that. Unless he didn't know she was there! But that would mea-

"Artemis, look there." Henri gestured to the water, my eyes following the way he was pointing. It wasn't until I studied it intensely for a few moments when I finally saw it. The water was different colour there, lighter. If I looked closely, as well, I could just see a figure safely secured in a bubble of air.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. It was just too brilliant.

The water rushed towards the Aloadae, swirling around their feet with such a force that they were pushed to the ground. Their snarls could've been heard through the entire city as they cursed the Gods.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Anna began, standing, "Let's break some laws."

I grinned, following her lead. "Any specific plan, boss?"

She shook her head as Henri rose a few centimetres into the air. "We get in, we set them on fire and we get the hell outta there. Nothing more to it. Ares," she barked, "You're with me."

Grudgingly, Aaron stood, sheathing his sword and looking very much as if he wouldn't mind seeing Anna's blood staining it. Anna, however, ignored his murderous glare and turned to Henri and I. "You two don't need to stick together but make sure that you're always within sight of the other and watch each other's backs. It would be unfortunate if one of you died."

I winced at her choice of words. I knew she had to be tough, I knew she had to show no emotion in these circumstances but she was discussing the possibility of one of our deaths as if it was the morning news.

Then again, if one of us died, it would be the morning news.

I winked at her as Henri mock saluted her. "Aye aye, captain," Henri said jokingly but, before the words could even reach her ears, she and Aaron had disappeared.

Everything was silent. Finally, Henri turned to me. I watched him as he scanned my body for any injury before saying, barely muttering, "I'm glad you're alright."

I let a ghost of a smile grace my lips as he immediately soared into the air, angling for the Aloadae.

They were standing now, Ephialtes scowling at the ground where I could make out two tiny figures. Henri was rocketing towards Otus, his face pulled into a determined mask.

For a moment, I let myself take in my surroundings.

I could see Zeus, Hades and Hera arguing fiercely on the opposite building, Hera slightly damp. Zeus was gesturing to the lightning bolt in his hand which had Hera shaking her head in denial.

A few buildings down had Apollo and Aphrodite laying out a make-shift medical centre, Demeter rushing around to help.

I grinned and, in that moment of time, I felt as if I was truly at home. It was as if my entire life had never held true happiness, the three story country house never in reality my home. But here, embracing my powers and battling for my life, I felt _truly _at home.

I closed my eyes.

Instead of seeing nothing but black, I was standing in the wasteland again, the violet moon shining down upon me. I didn't linger, however.

I snapped my eyes open and found myself back where I had started. Falling.

The roars were louder now as I was falling past the Aloadae's skin, the night sky the only solitary thing in my descent. I was aware of Henri fluttering by the head of Otus as I fell faster down the length of his body. A glimmering ball of blue fire was in his hand, prepared to be thrown into the giant's mouth. I was by the waist when I saw him throw it.

The fire soared through the air, Henri's aim perfect. Then it missed.

The news helicopter whirled unnaturally close to Otus' head, causing him to bow his head and miss the fire. Instead it flew right past his head, burning the edges of his hair. I growled.

I needed to take care of those reporters.

I, once again, found myself in the wasteland before I opened my eyes and found that I was falling through the night sky, only a few metres above the helicopter. I dived towards it, focusing my entire being on the power that coursed through me as I flung out my hand, muttering, "εξασθενίζουν"

A strange sensation ran through my body as if someone had poured a bucket of water over my head. I smiled grimly as I glided through the helicopter easily, the blades slicing right through me. They didn't leave a mark, however, as I soared through the roof of the chopper. It was as if I was a ghost.

Before I could glide through the floor, I muttered, "στερεοποιηθεί"

I landed nimbly in the helicopter, ignoring the startled gasps as I quickly stepped into the shadows. I glanced up warily, reassured that the shadows would hide my face from view. I blinked as I was met with the flashing red light of a camera; the perky blonde reported I had seen earlier staring at me in awe. Her suit was torn and her hair had come undone but she had proven to me that reporters would do anything they could to get a story.

The wall behind me was open, probably how the reported had filmed the battle. The wind caused my hair to whip around me in a flurry, the noise almost unbearable. However, the reported just opened her mouth excitedly.

Before she could utter single word, I snapped. "What do you think you're doing? You're in the midst of a battle field yet your acting like children. By fluttering around the Aloadae's head, you're potentially risking the lives of every person in this helicopter. Now, if you knew what was good for you, you'd stay away from here."

I took a step back until my heel rested on the edge of the floor, sheathing my scimitars. I turned on my heel, fully prepared to leap from the helicopter when she spoke.

"Who are you?" she asked determinedly, her voice wavering only slightly.

I knew I shouldn't have answered her. It defied every rule that Zach had pounded into our heads. But it felt right.

"We're Gods," I whispered but I knew the blonde heard me.

With that, I leapt from the helicopter.

The wind rushed across my face, my hair thrashing back. It almost seemed impossible to think that only _two_ weeksago, I wouldn't have let myself go two feet into the air yet here I was, _sky diving. _It just truly showed how much we had changed.

I let in a sharp intake of breath as one of Zach's lightning bolts whipped past me, exploding onto the skin of Otus with so much force, he had to take a step back.

I closed my eyes.

But I didn't see anything.

I didn't see moonlight, or sand, or stars. All I saw was the back of my eyelids.

I opened my eyes in panic. I had used too much of my energy. My body wasn't allowing me to materialize because it knew that it would kill me.

But I was still falling.

So I did the only thing I could think of when in situation like the current one.

"Hermes!" I shouted.

I didn't bother repeating myself. I only fell for a few more metres until strong arms encircled my body, holding me bridal style. I immediately clung to the fabric of his shirt, ignoring the warmth there. I glanced up at Henri. He was staring at me in rage and I couldn't help but crack a smile.

"You find this funny!" he said, outraged and my smile grew wider, "You were falling to your death, without energy and you found the experience funny!"

I tensed as he rose higher into the air, noticing how is arms grew tighter around me, almost protectively. Wow, awkward.

I didn't bother answering him. Instead I muttered, "I need you to fly a few metres above Otus' head then drop me. I'm going to shoot an arrow into his mouth and then I need you to catch me again."

He looked at me in horror. "You're not serious are you?"

"Absolutely."

He growled and I reluctantly buried my head into his chest as he put on a sudden burst of speed. I was wrong before. This was _beyond _awkward.

I sucked in a breath as I felt his breath by my ear, whispering, "Fine, I'll drop you in a few seconds so prepare yourself and be careful."

I took my head from his chest, barely realising when the smooth texture of my bow appeared in my hands. For a moment, my eyes met his. I nodded. "Thanks. I will."

Then he released me.

I didn't waste any time. Twisting myself so I was diving head first, I nocked an arrow, bending my neck so that I was looking up towards the sky. I gritted my teeth as I took aim, forcing myself to stay steady.

I only had a three second window and it was coming up fast. "πυρκαγιά!" I shouted.

Almost immediately, the arrowhead lit up with writhing sapphire flames, sparks flying off into different directions.

I waited, the wind roaring in my ears, for the perfect moment. Otus had spotted me, his mouth opening into a roar as his scarlet eyes stared at me in unconcealed lust.

I released the arrow.

For a moment, time seemed to slow. I could see each individual flame as the arrow soared in a graceful arc, the stars glittering in the background. Otus was still roaring, his eyes too preoccupied with me to notice the arrow zooming towards his throat.

I watched it as it disappeared into the depths of Otus' mouth, the sapphire swallowed by the darkness.

I smiled.

I didn't wait to see the result. I didn't watch the reaction I had yearned to see the past few hours. I just closed my eyes as the familiar arms of Henri wrapped around my waist, tugging me towards his chest. The descent was slower but I could tell we were angling away from Otus and, most probably, towards a roof top.

My suspicions were proven correct when Henri gently placed my feet on the ground. I fluttered my eyes open, noticing for the first time that Otus' roars had ceased.

Ephialtes had already fallen. I didn't know how considering I hadn't seen what Anna and Aaron had done but I expected that their fire had found its mark. Otus wasn't roaring. He wasn't even moving. He just stood there, a slightly shocked look decorating his features. His skin had a slight red tinge to it as if he was sunburnt. Slowly, but surely, the red began to spread, becoming more defined. After only a few moments he looked as if he was a particularly large tomato. Spots of mould and decay were beginning to appear on his flesh, crumbling away like burnt, crisp skin.

His eyes bulged as the red gave way to grey and then the grey to black. His skin reminded me of the time Phe had attempted to cook the turkey for thanksgiving a few years back. Charred, crisp and as if it was about to crumble into dust at any time.

I felt as if I should feel upset about seeing the life being sucked from the Aloadae, Otus and Ephialtes slowly dissolving into dust and fading away. But I didn't.

I didn't feel upset, or angry, or sad. I didn't even feel happy, or satisfied, or triumphant. I just felt nothing, as if death, _their _deaths in specific, mattered nothing to me.

It was a relief.

"Is it over?" I heard Henri ask. I glanced over him, studying his face. He looked terrible, his face streaked with dirt and bruises dotting his skin.

I gave him a humourless smile. "I think it is, Hermes. I think it is."

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	25. Caught in the Act

**Ahhh! Almost over guys! I apologize for the shortness of this chapter but there will be one last chapter so...**

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><p>Chapter 23<p>

We were celebrating.

Haden had appeared not long after the Aloadae had fallen, dragging a very wet looking Po behind him. The others appeared not so soon after, their eyelids drooping. We were too tired to talk as Haden drew a transportation pentagram into the ground with a piece of chalk, instead opting for sitting on the ground while we watched him. Since I had been the first in Athens, they thought it right for me to be first home. I couldn't complain, really.

After a few seconds of having my world turned upside down and bile rise up the back of my throat, I found myself standing in a silent clearing near our house.

It was so calm, so quiet and so unlike the loud, tiring battle field I had just left. Or, at least it was until Alex appeared.

A loud _crack! _echoed through the forest as Alex materialized where I had only moments before. He gave the forest an almost bored look before his eyes rested on me, a large grin appearing on his face. Before I could react, his arms encircled my waist, heaving me from the ground and twirling me in circles. I laughed openly as Alex shouted, "We won, Mia!" before kissing me on both cheeks and placing me firmly back on the ground.

Reaching up, I ruffled my brother's _still _immaculate hair, his crystal blue eyes sparkling. I grinned. It had been a long time since I'd seen my brother look so happy.

Another _crack! _resounded across the clearing and Anna, Aaron and Henri appeared, looking bloodied and torn. Almost immediately, Alex winked at me before turning to Anna, a beatific grin spreading across his face. "Anna!" he declared, spreading his arms wide, "Give me a hug!"

She took a wary step back. "Do I want to?"

Alex pretended to look hurt, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "Of course you do! And to make you absolutely sure, I'm going to show you!"

I could hear Henri choking back a laugh as Alex practically _pounced _on Anna, enveloping her in a massive bear hug. Anna's loud, screeching protests could be heard as Alex cheerfully threw her over his shoulder, his hand gripping her thigh. She screamed as he did so, clinging to his shirt desperately as he paraded around the small clearing, shouting, "You should be happy, Anna! We won, we won, we won!"

Another series of loud _cracks! _reverberated across the clearing as the rest of my siblings appeared like smoke. Two of them, Po and Haden, were cheering, their laughter contagious as Zach swung Helena around before planting a kiss on her lips. I couldn't help but crack a smile as the weight of what we had done truly sunk in.

We, the average Lewis family, just defeated two giants from Greek Mythology. We had won, we had succeeded. We had actually done it.

I was aware of Alex still prancing around the clearing, Anna half-heartedly banging his back with her tiny fists. She was yelling her usual threats of disembowelment, decapitation and castration but they were full of laughter, her eyes sparkling in mirth.

Phe and Deanna were squealing, jumping up and down as they smothered each other in hugs. Zach and Helena were now unlikely to surface for air any time soon and Henri had conducted a sing-a-long to the words of 'Celebration,' following Alex and Anna around and throwing rose petals onto them.

It was infectious. I couldn't help but join in, following the group as we slowly made our way through the forest, the dark house coming into sight. A part of me realised that at least _one _light should've been on since Uncle Carl would be home but I pushed it away, to taken up by the celebration.

Anna had taken control of Alex's momentarily lapse of concentration due to the rose petals (took him long enough to notice) and had leapt from his shoulder. However, the plan had unfortunately sounded better than it actually was because she had ended up accidentally dragging Alex with her. Now they were rolling down the hill by our house, wrestling to see who could get up first.

I could almost envision that amount of complaining I would hear when they woke up the next morning with enough bruises to cover Australia.

We were probably loud enough to wake the whole neighbourhood as Zach slammed the door open, his tongue still down Helena's throat. They were groping each other in a way that was totally not meant to be seen by public eyes, Zach now reduced to carrying Helena into the house. No one seemed to care, however. If those two didn't bother our partying, we wouldn't bother their _unique _choice of partying. In fact it wasn't until we were half way down the dark hallway when something shocked us into silence.

The light turned on.

Uncle Carl was standing at the mouth of the stairs, his hair dishevelled and deep bags underneath his eyes. He looked as if he was positively about to murder some unsuspecting civilian, his face flushed with rage. I froze, not daring to move as Haden took the time to swear underneath his breath. The entire family went silent, Alex and Anna, in mid-punch, freezing in their positions, which probably wasn't the best of ideas. However, no one breathed, no one spoke, no one even dared to look Uncle Carl in the eye.

We all knew this wasn't good.

"Imagine my surprise when I got home and turned on the TV," he began, his voice cold and emotionless, "And I saw my twelve children fighting two _giants_ in _Greece _and NOT. SO. _FAST_. HENRI."

Henri, who had been attempting to sneak out through the kitchen door, winced visibly before backing into the group.

"Do you remember what I told you all those weeks ago?" he continued. When no one answered, he said, "With your _unusual _cases, I told you to do three things for me. One was not to leave the house, two was to go unnoticed and three was, most importantly, to _not fight GIANTS!"_

"Technically," Henri mused, "you didn't specifically say the word gia-"

"Henri!" Uncle Carl snapped, pointing at him, "Quiet!"

Henri, who had opened his mouth, suddenly thought better of it and snapped it shut.

Zach stepped forwards, untangling himself from Helena with difficulty as she hastily straightened her shirt, wiping off her smudged lip gloss. Before Zach could speak, Uncle Carl said in a monotone voice, "Your lip gloss is smudged, Zach."

For a second, there was nothing but silence as Zach glanced at himself in horror, Henri in silent convulsions on the floor. Hurriedly, he wiped off Helena's lip gloss, which had rubbed onto his lips, before he spoke, "Let me explain, Unc-"

"No," Uncle Carl interrupted, "I'm going to ask the questions and you're going to answer them truthfully which _means _no sugar coating or changing the story. Understand?"

He was met with a few mumbled yes's. We knew we were in trouble and we didn't necessarily want to dig ourselves any deeper then we already were.

He took in a deep breath. "Alright, what compelled you to fight giants? Honestly?"

"We're the Greek Gods and their Greek monsters," Zach explained, "It's our duty, almost. Our responsibility."

"Your responsibility," Uncle Carl said in disbelief, "You're not the Greek Gods! You're eighteen years old! Hell, Mia and Alex are only seventeen! And do you really expect me to believe that _responsibility _compelled you to risk you lives? I _would_ believe you if you showed any _responsibility _when cleaning your rooms!"

Henri began to speak but Uncle Carl quickly silenced him with a warning glare.

I stepped forward, our Uncle's harsh gaze landing on me. "Please, Uncle," I asked, "They fought the Aloadae because they had to save me. I had given myself up an-"

"You did WHAT!"

I winced slightly at his tone before forcing myself to continue. "They had demanded me and Hera or else they would destroy Athens. I gave myself up so that the others could have more time to plan. They didn't hurt me though," I added hurriedly when noticing the impressive vein pulsing at Uncle Carl's temple.

"Well," Henri stated loudly, striding towards the stairs, "Now that's over with, I'm goin-"

"Not. Quite. Yet. Henri," Uncle Carl said tiredly, "I want to know how? How did you kill them?"

"We blew them up," Anna inputted casually, studying her sword intensely.

Uncle Carl didn't even blink. "You know," he began conversationally, "Most teenagers become obsessed with the wrong stuff and sneak out which is, technically what you do. However, you're obsessed with _mythical powers _and sneak out to _fight giants _in the night. Therefore, if I _ever _discover that you're going on secretive _vigilante _endeavours _ever again, _I will treat you with the same punishment other parents might give." He paused and I could totally tell it was for dramatic effect, "So, I've decided, that you're all grounded. For two weeks."

A loud groan emitted around the hallway but Uncle Carl continued, unimpressed, "I also suggest you get some rest because you have school tomorrow."

And with that, he turned on his heel and retreated back up the stairs. He was at the top when he paused, calling down, "Oh, and by the way? Good job."

Then he disappeared into the hallway.

For a moment, everyone was silent. All you could've heard was our breathing and the steady fidgeting of Helena as she tried to not look embarrassed by her tiny snogging session she just shared with the public.

Henri was the one that broke the silence. "Well," he began slowly, "That was cheerful."

Haden shrugged. "It could've been worse."

"You're telling me," Anna muttered.

I shrugged. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but," I paused, striding down the hallway Uncle Carl had just left and turning to face them, "I want to do that again sometime."

Alex gave me a disbelieving stare. "You're not serious?"

"Oh," I said, grinning, "I _am."_

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	26. Epilogue

**Ahhhh! The final chapter, guys! Can you believe it! Well, I hope you enjoy :-D**

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><p>Epilogue<p>

They were fighting again.

Eros honestly didn't know why he even bothered to watch. It was always the same. Percy would insult Achilles or defy his orders and would then run for his life while Achilles proceeded to chase him with a sword.

It was incredibly amusing, though. Despite Achilles being the better swordsman and fighter, Percy was an incredibly difficult prey to catch, always stepping out of the path of a sword a split second before it hit him. They were resuming their duel in the back garden, Eros lounging across a chaise while he lazily watched his two 'brothers' clash.

"Now," Percy said, hands in the air as he backed away from Achilles, "I know you're mad but-"

"Mad?" Achilles hissed, narrowly missing Percy with his sword, "Mad! You fed the _eighth _key to the Hydra, defied my _direct _orders _twice_ and assisted Heather in sneaking out of camp. Now, why in the Gods names, would I be mad?"

He lunged towards Percy, a wild gleam in his eye as Percy ducked underneath his arm and stood behind him.

"Hey," Percy said defensively, as Achilles twirled, swinging his sword in a wide arc causing Percy to take another hasty step back, "If you've ever been on the receiving end of those puppy dog eyes then you would know that you can never say no to her."

"_I," _Achilles snapped, keeping up a constant wall of attacks, "am able to withstand those eyes. It's just _you, _Percy, who only thinks with his pants!"

He pouted. "That's not true!"

"It. Is. And. You. Know. It." Achilles shouted, gesturing each word with a vicious attack, "NOW STOP DODGING AND FIGHT LIKE A WARRIOR!"

Percy once again leapt out of Achilles way gleefully. "I'd rather not, thanks, if that means turning into a clone of _you."_

Rage swept through Achilles' eyes and their dance took on a new ferocity. Eros smirked. He could always count on them to give him his daily entertainment. Suddenly, he could _sense _a figure standing behind him. Eros almost immediately knew who it was and was only mildly surprised when he heard a voice say, "So their fighting again, are they?"

Eros craned his head to get a better view of the new comer, grinning slightly when he saw Heracles staring at the two duelling Demi-gods in exasperation. Heracles was very much like Achilles in physical appearance, the only difference being the shoulder length, auburn hair and the muscles that seemed to appear on every spare centimetre of skin. Heracles was easily the largest guy Eros knew and could absolutely give the God of War, Ares, a run for his money.

Eros nodded before reclining back onto the chair. "When are they not?"

Heracles sighed. "Very true. What is it now, though?"

"Well," Eros mused, "Percy apparently fed the eighth pair of keys we own to the Hydra."

Heracles stared at him in shock. "He did what!"

Percy, who it seemed to have been listening, froze in his duel to yell in exasperation, "The thing has _nine heads!" _before quickly ducking as Achilles sword came uncannily close to his head.

"You're going to have nine heads when I'm done with you," Achilles snapped as he finally succeeded in knocking Percy to the ground.

Percy gave him a thoughtful look. "Has anyone told you that you have _major _anger management issues?"

Achilles growled, lunging towards a laughing Percy as he rolled and pranced out of the way.

"Eros?"

Eros turned his head, once again, towards Heracles, raising an eyebrow. It was only then that he seemed to notice that rather large grin decorating Heracles' face. He narrowed his eyes. He knew that grin all too well.

"Yeah?"

The Demi-god shook his head in amusement. "Something is on TV that I think you should see."

Curiosity filled Eros as he rose, giving Heracles a questioning look. Heracles, however, just smirked, shaking his head once again before leaving through one of the sliding doors. In the end, the interest became too much for Eros and he followed Heracles through the house, out of the stifling heat.

The house had been one of many options Achilles had forced the three boys to consider when choosing the perfect location. Achilles wanted a house close by to the Olympians but not so that it was obvious. Heracles wanted one that backed onto the forest so that he could train and hunt. Percy wanted hot female neighbours but, Eros, however, just wanted a peaceful area.

Achilles, against all odds, had found a house that met all the requirements (except for Percy's to his disappointment) and still had three and more possible escape routes, glazed windows to shield them from prying eyes and a large enough garage to keep Cerberus happy.

Though the three headed dog was only a puppy, they knew that, within a few months, the dog would easily be the size of a large car.

Eros found Heracles in the lounge room, standing before the large plasma TV covering the better part of the wall. However, it was what was _on _the TV that caught most of his attention.

A blonde reporter was standing in a studio, three large screens behind her showing various scenes of what vaguely looked like the Greece Eros remembered.

"All had seemed lost to the city of Athens as the military failed in defeating the supposed two _Giants _that were terrorizing the locals. That is, until a single woman entered the scene."

The scene changed, instead showing a dark landscape, buildings that had once been grand reduced to rubble and ash. The Aloadae were perched lazily across a series of buildings, crushing them beneath their terrible weight. The streets were deserted except for a single girl. She was dressed in bronze armour, two swords strapped securely to her back.

Eros narrowed his eyes at the image. The girl seemed unbearably familiar to him but her head kept turning away from the camera every time he hoped to catch a glimpse of her.

Then it clicked.

It was _Artemis._

A grin slowly broke out over his face. It had been a long time since he had seen her in her armour and, he had to say, he certainly missed seeing the Olympians in battle.

The reporter's voice could be heard over the scene as Eros watched Artemis step onto the Giant's hand, her body tense.

"However, it wasn't until eleven other figures joined the girl when the fight really began."

Another scene flashed onto the screen, showing a dark street, eleven figures walking cautiously down. Almost like magic, a twelfth figure appeared, the others crowding around it.

The scene changed, once again, showing four figures on a roof top, one a sparkling lightning bolt in hand.

"Now, the question that had remained unanswered was who were they and why did they suddenly decide to help us? Well that question was answered when one of them appeared in a news helicopter."

The scene changed.

This time it showed what Eros knew immediately as Artemis. Her back was to the open door of the helicopter, her hair whipping around her shoulders. Her face was hidden in the shadows, the only clear features being her two emerald eyes. Her swords were hung loosely in her hands, various scratches and bruises covering her body. Despite this, however, she still presented an unearthly beauty about her, an otherworldly glow.

He watched with mild amusement as Artemis _totally _told the reporters off, her voice filled with barely compressed rage.

Rant finished, she turned, revealing her back to the reporters. She had taken a step towards the edge of the platform when the same blonde reporter entered the shot, asking, "Who are you?"

For a moment, Artemis said nothing. She merely stood by the edge of the helicopter, her hair flying in all directions.

Then she said, so quietly Eros had to strain to hear, "We're Gods."

The scene switched to the shot of the studio, the perky blonde once again smiling cheerfully at the camera. "As one question was answered," she was saying, "Another was asked. Are these young adults actually the legendary Greek Gods of old? And, if so, why are they choosing now to reveal themselves? Tune in at 7:00pm tonight to hear the remainder of the story."

The screen went black.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Heracles was still smiling stupidly at the screen, waiting for Eros' reaction. Eros, however, just let a grin stretch across his face.

"Well," he began, "This is going to be an interesting few months, isn't Heracles?"

He knew, oh _he knew, _nothing was over yet.

This was only the beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>Did you read that? It's only the beginning!<strong>

**Please reveiw guys! Tell me everything you like! Fav character, least fav character, fav scene, fav pairing, least fav etc. I love hearing your thoughts!**

_**Also **_**there will be another chapter to announce some exciting news, mention a few special people and thank you all. I'll probably post it within the day :-D**__


	27. Important NEW NOTES

**I AM SO SORRY!**

**As you all may know, I actually promised you all that LOTG (Lies of the Gods) would be posted in mid-October but it obviously isn't. There is no way to say HOW SORRY I AM. I haven't actually had time to write any of my stories due to school back in session, homework, assignments etc. I promise though (this time for REAL) that the earliest I could post the story would be November while the latest would be nearing the end of December. SO SORRY! Please, you can kill me if you want...**

**Thank guys for understanding :-D**


	28. READ THIS FIRST PLEASE :D

**Okay ladies and gentlemen.**

**I'm sorry. I'm sorry about this story and I'm sorry how I haven't updated it's sequel in like twenty thousand years give or take a few hundred. I just... lost total interest. School began again, exams came up, dance concerts etc. It barely flitted across my mind. I haven't even been on this site for weeks. But somehow, I defied all rules of logic and returned to this site. I read my story and I literally though, "Omg. What is this? What- even- I just can't- Omg, its so bad."**

**Yes, yes I indeed thought that. I know. I'm overly critical. That's what most of you say. But it really is. THAT IS WHY I HAVE A NEW PLAN!**

**Come two weeks, holidays begin for me (WOOOOOOOT). In those two weeks of luxurious free days, I promise to BEGIN (not finish) REWRITING SECRETS OF THE GODS. **

**It will be more realistic. For example, they won't just casually waltz into a secret room behind a bookshelf and go 'Oh, this is cool. Tots didn't know this was here but why should I care?'**

**The emotions/character development will be SO MUCH BETTER. **

**And other characters (eg. Percy, Deanna, Po, Haden and others) will feature exclusively with more time in da spotlight. Yes.**

**By this, I make an oath. Just... patience. It is a virtue. I've had 29 PM's about the sequel. 29. Yup. In a week. Thanks for making me feel special. It feels ultra nice.**

**Yours truly,**

**Ezy xoxxo**


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